


safeguard

by spa_ghetto



Series: in a world with ghosty powers [1]
Category: Julie and The Phantoms (TV)
Genre: A little bit dark, Child Paranormal Investigator, Exorcisms, F/M, Gen, Ghosts, M/M, Mean Plus One, Possession, Possible Demon, Protective Alex (Julie and The Phantoms), Protective Julie Molina, Protective Luke Patterson, Protective Reggie (Julie and The Phantoms), Protective Willie (Julie and The Phantoms), Teenage Exorcists, can't forget about that loool, evil ghosts, not gonna lie, or maybe those are called demons, the whole gang - Freeform, these boys are gonna protect julie with their afterlives
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-02
Updated: 2020-11-05
Packaged: 2021-03-07 20:40:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 23,384
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26773771
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spa_ghetto/pseuds/spa_ghetto
Summary: How far is too far when trying to save your newfound family, your former crush, and a ghost skater boy from certain existential erasure?Asking for a friend.
Relationships: Alex & Julie Molina & Luke Patterson & Reggie, Alex/Willie (Julie and The Phantoms), Carlos Molina & Julie Molina, Flynn & Carrie Wilson, Flynn & Julie Molina, Julie Molina & Carrie Wilson, Julie Molina & Nick (Julie and the Phantoms), Julie Molina & Willie, Julie Molina/Luke Patterson, Nick & Carrie Wilson
Series: in a world with ghosty powers [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2025488
Comments: 87
Kudos: 569





	1. Chapter 1

**JULIE**

Julie wants to be home.

She longs for it while weaving through a busy sidewalk, clutching Nick’s hand so they won’t get separated. There’s an uneasy feeling in her stomach the further he drags her into town. She squeezes his hand subconsciously. When he looks back, he smiles, and even that doesn’t relieve her. 

Something has been… off about Nick. She notices it in the way he looks at her, mainly. He’s flirty, extravagant, _enchanting_ with his words. He swept her off her feet in dance class, literally. He’s making excuses to be around her more. He even asked her to duet a _song_ with him for music.

“We’re almost there,” he says when they stop at a street corner. He’s beaming at her.

Julie doesn’t know where she is. She tries not to be frantic in searching for street signs or landmarks. Nothing looks familiar, yet it’s still very much LA. The streets are packed with tourists. Every lane is filled with traffic, nearly bumper-to-bumper. Noise buzzes in her ears: that warm Los Angeles tune, a constant thread through the hottest streets. Surely she can find something in this mess—

They’re moving again. Nick tugs her forward, so immediately after the street light changes to red that there’s still a car speeding by trying to beat the next green. Nick doesn’t see it. Julie yanks him back—she doesn’t know how she acts so quickly with the honking and yelling making her eardrums swell—onto the sidewalk just as the car flies past in a blur of red. She catches a glimpse of the driver: hunched forward, hands gripping the top of the steering wheel. Their vehicle shook with music. Julie hopes—in the back of her mind because a larger part of her is still reeling—that wherever they’re going is worth it.

“Thanks,” Nick says, huffing a laugh. “That was close.”

 _“Thanks?”_ Julie hisses. The Walk light turns on. They step off the sidewalk in sync with the crowd. “You almost died!”

He smirks. “Ah, but I _didn’t.”_

Weird Nick is back, she realizes. Truthfully, Weird Nick never left. But lately, he has these _moments._ Moments that seriously make Julie wonder if that’s really Nick in there.

Actually, she has another name for these moments that don’t seem to belong to Nick.

But… but she can’t think about that when he’s dragging her along in an unfamiliar place. He seems to know where he’s going. She doesn’t.

Julie wonders if the guys have begun wondering where she is. Is Reggie lingering in the kitchen, listening in on her dad, trying to get hints about her whereabouts? Is Luke wanting to track Flynn down while Alex tells him not to do anything _crazy?_ She _hopes_ Luke doesn’t look for Flynn; she’s at the dentist right now, and Julie will never hear the end of it if her ghost band creates a ruckus when there are tools in Flynn’s mouth.

Nick stops suddenly. Julie runs into his back, and miraculously, he doesn’t stumble. He’s a wall: stiff, unmoving. _Unbreakable_. 

“Here we are.”

A towering white mansion, front and center of Hollywood Hills. It stands proudly at eight stories tall. There’s a square tower connecting two halves of the mansion that overlooks the city with windows glaring under the sun’s watch.

Julie’s seen this place before.

The guys pointed it out one day. It only became a conversational piece when she mentioned it in passing, wondering aloud what the old mansion’s story was. She liked to think it held secrets from Hollywood’s Golden Age, possibly a Hot Spot in town for _everyone who was anyone._

Turns out, she wasn’t wrong. Not… exactly.

“What is this place?” she asks as he pulls her toward the door. She doesn’t want to go inside—even though _inside_ makes her stomach turn with curiosity… and betrayal. She considers fighting against him. Or maybe running. Could she outrun him? Probably not; possessed or not, Nick is an _athlete._

“It’s the—” he pauses, as if trying to find the right word. _“Coolest_ spot in town.”

That’s definitely a man pretending to be a teenager.

She wants to go home.

**~**~**~**~**

The stage is as incredible as the guys described it. Nick guides her through the backstage and onto a sleek marble floor. There are a few spotlights across the stage, none as bright as she imagines shine for the night performances. Still, they blind her when she finally steps around the curtain. Their shoes echo across the empty auditorium. Julie thinks of her school’s own performance hall; it pales in comparison to even half of this stage. 

Of course, thinking of school reminds her of Flynn and her dad and the guys… and that jolts her back to reality. She has to _get out of here._

“Wow,” she says, tipping her chin back to take in the room. It’s impressive now, but what about when the sun goes down and the lifers come trickling in for the incredible performance they sold their souls for? Is it bad if she might be curious enough to consider sticking around?

She also eyes the door at the back of the room. Looks like an exit; a possible escape route when she works up the courage to make a run for it?

“Marvelous, isn’t it?” Nick’s grinning proudly. The longer she’s with him, the less she sees the guy she’s known for years. She knows him well—had a crush on him since _middle school,_ after all. Julie glances at him.

“You’re that Caleb guy, aren’t you?” she asks hesitantly. “You’re the one who… almost destroyed the guys.” She shuffles away until he grabs her arm, forcing her to a stop.

Nick—Caleb smirks. “Clever girl.”

Julie yanks her arm free. “I suspected it when you told Carrie about her dad. _Nick_ doesn’t know about that.”

“I did that for you, dear.”

She scoffs. “Why?”

“Let me set the scene: this band of talented musicians show up on my doorstep.” He circles her slowly, carefully, fingers dragging across her shoulders, brushing through her hair… “They say a teenage girl can see them and, when they play with this mystery girl, the rest of the world can see them too.” 

Julie watches the exit with bated breath.

“I offer them a spot with my band; an eternity of music and nonstop praise from people who will always see them, even when they _aren’t_ playing music.”

She inhales deeply, trying to steady her heartbeat even though she knows it won’t work. Her knees are getting wobbly, and her hands—she wipes her hands on her jeans. Why is he so _close?_ What, does he come from a time period that doesn’t believe in _personal space?_

“But they refuse, so I leave a reminder of my offer to… push them in the right direction.”

“You gave them an _ultimatum,”_ she argues and winces immediately because her voice is _faltering;_ it trembles with a fear she can’t swallow down.

He chuckles in her ear. “Nervous, dear?”

Julie clenches her jaw.

“Oh, you shouldn’t be.” His hand sweeps her hair off her shoulder. The sudden cold air against her neck makes her flinch. “You’re the one who lifted the stamp, correct? You _beat_ me. _I_ should be weary around _you,_ shouldn’t I?” Caleb laughs.

“What do you want?” she growls. Her hands are fists at her sides. She’s rocking on her heels, never daring to tear her gaze from the door. It seems if she loses her sights, she loses his game. And she refuses to lose his game.

“I want to know how you did it.”

“I don’t know.”

“Well, of course you don’t. You’re only a child.” Julie rolls her eyes; he doesn’t notice. “Perhaps we can team up, hm?” He stops in front of her, smiling. “Spend a little time here and figure it out?”

Julie shakes her head. “No. No way. I’m _not_ staying here.”

“You haven’t even heard my offer.”

“I don’t _care.”_ She moves backward suddenly—so quickly that even she doesn’t process she’s walking until she blinks and he’s following her. “Stay away from me. I’m not interested in _anything_ you have to offer!”

“Not even your friend’s life?”

Julie stops dead in her tracks. “Huh?” she says dumbly.

Caleb shrugs, raising a hand in front of his face and trailing his eyes up Nick’s arm. “This body is fine, but I’ll get bored of it eventually. If you continue to be difficult—” His gaze flickers to her, and even with Nick’s bright eyes, his stare is cold and dark and pierces her straight to her core—“his time will come sooner rather than later.”

“You’d…” Julie swallows thickly. “You’d kill him? Just because I refuse?” she asks, even though she knows the answer already. Caleb was willing to let Luke, Reggie, and Alex be destroyed if they didn’t agree to his deal. He doesn’t care about people. His main goal is _power_ —she has to remember that.

Caleb smiles. “I’ll give you a day to think about it. Your father is expecting you, correct?”

She opens and closes her mouth, searching desperately for a defense, an argument— _something_ to fight back! He can’t just get away with this! Threatening the life of one teenager for the power of another that _might not even exist?_ He can’t—That’s not—!

He calls someone over before she can figure out a response. It’s a man clad in white; he looks her over blankly.

“He’ll escort you home,” Caleb tells her.

“I can walk,” she snaps.

Caleb raises an eyebrow, unimpressed. “Fine. Then he’ll escort you _out.”_

She chews on her lip, choosing to remain quiet. She eyes the man as she passes and refuses to take his hand to help her down the stairs. She can do it herself, _thanks._

“Oh, and Julie?” Caleb calls. Her shoulders tense immediately; she doesn’t like him saying her name. When she turns, he’s chillingly serious. “Let’s keep this between us, yeah? We wouldn’t want anyone getting _suspicious.”_

The second she’s outside, she’s on the phone. She’s storming down the sidewalk, running a hand through her hair, trying to keep calm and not think about anything that just happened. There are tears in her eyes, and if she dwells too long, she’ll break. In public. She can’t break in public. Not when cell phones exist and Snapchat and Instagram and—Twitter! She’d be trending on Twitter!: _Julie from Julie and The Phantoms seen bursting into tears on the sidewalk randomly._ It’d be worse than the ruined school dance! It—

“You better have a good reason for this!” Flynn warns once the call connects. “You made me lie to your dad after he offered me his amazing homemade salsa, Julie! And now Reggie is writing me a ton of notes saying how Ray didn’t deserve that, and you know? I agree! So, where are you?! You haven’t been answering any of my texts or calls! I—”

 _“Flynn,”_ Julie interrupts with such fear and shock that she doesn’t even recognize her voice. She ducks into a bus stop just as her tears finally begin to fall. Once they start, she can’t stop them. She pulls her sleeve over her hand and covers her mouth, trying to muffle her sobs for the sake of the stranger at the end of the bench.

Flynn inhales sharply. Before she can start asking questions, Julie beats her to it: “Tell them I’m fine.” She sniffs. “Tell the guys I’m fine. I’m not—I can’t have them come looking for me right now. I’m… I’m on my way home.”

“How long?”

“I don’t know.” A city bus turns onto their street and slows at the stop. Julie rises when the stranger does. “But I’m getting on a bus now. I’ll call you when I get close.”

“No, stay on the line.”

Her body is trembling with the sobs she’s repressing. “I think I…” She winces when her voice crumbles and breaks on the words. She takes a deep breath. “I need to be by myself right now.”

“Julie,” Flynn says seriously. “I’m outside of the studio, so you can tell me the truth. Are you okay? Do you need help?”

While Julie is waiting for the stranger to board the bus, she looks back at Caleb’s mansion. He’s just leaving, strolling out wearing Nick’s body like he’s been in it for years. He stops outside of the door and meets her eye. Her breath catches. Grinning, Caleb raises a finger to his lips.

Julie swallows down her lunch that she fears may come up eventually. Flynn’s voice echoes in her ear; she jolts.

“Yeah,” she finally answers, stepping onto the bus. She’s wiping her tears away now, and there aren’t any more coming. Julie takes a window seat until the bus begins to move. Then they’re approaching Caleb’s mansion, and she quickly moves to the outside.

She doesn't see Caleb's sharp gaze piercing the window as the bus passes.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Flynn is a bad influence on Carlos; there's a sleepover in the studio.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so I know I said I'd update biweekly, but...... I'm not doing that anymore xD I just figure this is a short story, so it doesn't *need* the biweekly updates like I thought it would. anyways, enjoy :)

**JULIE**

The first thing Julie does when she gets home is go to her room. She considers the studio—really wants to head that way first because after today, the last thing she wants to be is alone—but what Caleb said earlier is still rattling around her head: Keep this between us. What will happen if she tells the guys or Flynn? And how would Caleb be sure that she kept things quiet? She doesn’t know; that’s why she needs the silence and privacy of her _room_ to think.

But of course, it’s not that easy. She gets past her dad fine—apparently, Flynn fed him a lie about going somewhere with Nick, which she supposes isn’t _entirely_ a lie, but she’s expecting a _talk_ later that night—but when she finally slips through her bedroom door, someone is hugging her. And because of what just happened, she shoves them away immediately, harder than she intended but she’s taking advantage of being brave enough to touch them in the first place.

Flynn falls onto the bed. “Hey, what’s your deal?” she cries, catching herself on the side of the bed. It’s just her; Julie scans the room for the guys, but they’re still respecting her boundaries rule. Thankfully.

Or, maybe not thankfully in this case. She really wouldn’t mind being with them, curled into Luke’s side or wrapped in a protective hug by Reggie or Alex. Just to feel _safe_ again because—despite knowing that Flynn would totally fight someone for Julie—Flynn isn’t apart of the ghost world. She doesn’t completely understand the whole Caleb thing—though, granted, neither does Julie. The guys just _get_ it. They’ll understand her feelings because they’ve already gone through it. Hopefully she can work out a way to tell them.

“Sorry,” Julie mumbles. She kicks her shoes off and climbs on the bed next to her.

“Where were you?” Flynn asks. “You really scared me, Jules. And then I had to pretend like everything was fine in front of the guys and your dad!”

Julie’s eyes fall closed as she sighs. “I know,” she says. “That couldn’t have been easy. I’m sorry.” She reaches for Flynn’s hand and holds on tight. “You remember Caleb, right? The one who almost destroyed the guys?”

Flynn nods slowly. “Yeah… Of course I do.”

With a deep breath, Julie tells her everything. She explains how she even got in the position in the first place—Nick had invited her to his _cousin’s_ recording studio after school, which became his cousin’s once Julie pointed out that his family didn’t _own_ a recording studio. He’d been acting weird all day, and that was just another peg in her curiosity. She wanted to look into it, but she didn’t expect the worse because it’s _Nick._ He’s a sweetheart. What trouble could he really be involved in?—what Caleb wanted, the exchange he offered, and the time limit he set. A day. _One day_ to decide whether she wants to sell her soul or save Nick’s life. Or, the third option probably: somehow convince the guys to play at Caleb’s club for eternity.

“And, yeah,” she finishes with a heavy sigh. “Now I’m just… stuck.”

Flynn stares for a few seconds, processing. “Wow,” she says finally. “I don’t… I don’t know what to say. Oh wait, yes I do: We’re not going to let him win!”

Julie laughs despite herself. “Love the enthusiasm, but I don’t know any way around this.”

“Um, hello? You’re alive! He’s dead! You already have an advantage.”

“But he’s possessing Nick! He could kill him any time he wants!”

Flynn huffs. “Okay. Good point. You’re going to tell the guys, right?”

Julie nods, albeit hesitant. “Yeah. Yeah, eventually. I just… needed to think it over myself.”

Suddenly the door bursts open, and in walks Carlos wearing a go pro on his head and carrying a metal box covered in buttons. “Hey—”

“Carlos! What did I say about coming in here without permission?” Julie scolds.

Carlos rolls his eyes. “Whatever it is, it’s not as cool as _this!”_ He waves the box in their faces. “Dad bought me a Spirit Box!”

Flynn and Julie share unimpressed looks. Flynn admits, “That looks like a lunchbox with lights.”

He huffs. “It’s a _Spirit Box._ It’ll let me talk to the ghosts that are _definitely haunting our house!”_ Carlos shoots Julie a knowing look and even winks to sell his point.

Julie rolls her eyes; he’s a real dork sometimes. Then Flynn smacks her arm with her hand. “Ow! What?” Julie hisses.

Instead of answering, Flynn turns to Carlos. “You know a lot about ghosts, huh?”

Carlos smiles proudly. “I’d say I’m the ghost _expert_ in the house.”

Julie smirks, almost rolling her eyes again.

“So… have you heard of ghostly possession?”

Now it’s Julie’s turn to smack Flynn. They glare at each other for a second, having a silent conversation full of _warnings_ and _persuasion._ Julie isn’t buying it. If she’s still contemplating telling the _actual ghosts_ downstairs about Caleb, there’s no way she’s about to drag her _little brother_ into this.

But, Carlos is hooked. “Possession?” he asks, eyes wide and twinkling with interest.

Julie mentally facepalms.

Flynn grins. “Yeah! I read on some, uh, website that that was a thing. How do you think someone would go about getting rid of a ghost like that?”

Carlos’ eyebrows furrow. He hums, thinking it over. “I’m pretty sure any possession has to be dealt with by exorcism.”

 _Exorcism!_ Julie would’ve spit out her drink if she had one. An exorcism, on her former crush! Oh _no._

“Do you know anything about exorcisms?”

“Flynn,” Julie warns. “My dad and _tía_ Victoria will kill me if they find out we’re teaching Carlos about _demons.”_ She rubs circles against her temple; just _imagining_ how furious her _tía_ would be gives her a headache.

Carlos smirks. “Don’t worry; they’ll never know.” He bolts out of the room, probably to Google _How to Perform an Exorcism._ Julie sighs; she hopes he at least remembers to clear the search history.

“We can’t exorcise Nick,” Julie says dryly.

“Do you have a better idea?”

“Even _if_ we knew how to do that, Caleb wouldn’t let us that close. We’d be done for.”

Flynn’s phone buzzes with a text. When she reads it, she sighs. “My dad’s downstairs,” she mumbles. She rolls off the bed in slow motion, trying to stall as much as she can.

“Already?” Julie complains.

“Yeah, well—” Flynn chuckles. “Unlike you, _I’ve_ been here for two hours.” She slips her shoes on. “Text me. We’ll figure this out.”

Julie sighs. “Yeah, okay. Bye.”

When Flynn leaves and the door shuts behind her, Julie is finally alone. Just like she wanted. Except… something doesn’t feel right. Chills run down her arms. There’s something in here. She can feel the presence in the room, but—she looks around—she can’t decide where.

“Hello?” she calls dumbly. No one responds, of course. The _feeling_ is still there. Julie rises from her bed. “If there’s a ghost in here, you should know,” she warns, hurriedly stepping into her animal slippers, “my brother is a paranormal investigator and my best friends are ghosts, so, leave while you can.”

She tries not to leave quickly because that would mean being afraid, and she’s not about to show whoever or whatever that she’s afraid—can ghosts sense fear? She feels like it wouldn’t be much of a stretch—but as soon as she’s halfway down the hall, she bolts.

Her dad is in the kitchen, cooking dinner and humming a tune of a Spanish song playing through the radio. She sneaks outside easily.

On the porch, she can hear them—the guys. They’re practicing a song, a new one she hasn’t heard before. It’s weird to think, had things gone according to plan at the Orpheum or they’d stayed with Caleb, that her studio wouldn’t be as lively anymore. She’d have her music, of course, but the energy wouldn’t ever be the same again. Her heart hurts thinking about it, even though there’s no need because they aren’t gone. They still came back to her.

They never talked about what really happened at the club, and she didn’t ask. Actually, the only thing they clued her in on was that Caleb liked to perform, just like them. But they never explained how they lost track of time the night of the dance. She only knew that Caleb was evil, and the club was a Dangerous Place. The way Caleb described it, though… An _eternity_ of music. A crowd that can _always_ see them. It sounds perfect for them. Why would they ever pass that up in the first place?

Reggie sees her first. His face lights up. “Julie!”

While Alex is looking over, Luke is already placing his guitar on its stand and rushing to her. He reaches for her hand, hesitates, then pulls away. They each pretend it never happened.

“Where have you been?” he demands. “What happened? Flynn wouldn’t tell us anything!”

“Yeah!” Reggie agrees. “Once you called, she stormed out! _So_ rude. We were in the middle of a conversation!”

“You were just complaining that she lied to the _coolest dad in the world,”_ Alex teases.

“Well, he didn’t deserve that!”

“I was with Nick,” Julie answers quickly. She ignores the way Luke’s jaw clenches at his name. “I was just out… with Nick.”

“Out, like…” Luke says, raising an eyebrow, suddenly looking _too_ unimpressed and unbothered, “on a date?”

Julie inhales sharply. _“No!_ Oh geez… No…”

“Would’ve been great song material,” Reggie mutters.

Alex elbows him in the ribs.

Julie pushes past them. “So I know I’m late, but um…” She grabs her microphone off its stand and smiles hopefully. “Can we still practice?”

Luke grins, quickly looking like his usual self. _“Of course_ we can.”

She smiles, relieved. No one notices her tight grip on her mic.

**~**~**~**~**

** CARRIE **

Carrie’s dad has only ever been secretive about one thing in his life: high school.

“Nothing really happened,” he’d say. “I was in a band, but it didn’t go anywhere.”

But something must’ve happened, she thinks, because he’s been going to therapy for as long as she can remember. Her mom used to say his issues began just before graduation, but she never elaborated. And Carrie never asked. As long as her dad was okay—even just _physically_ —she didn’t care.

But Nick’s comment earlier still irks her.

“Imagine where you’d be,” he’d whispered in her ear at the end of music, “if your dad hadn’t stolen someone else’s songs.”

They were almost alone. Just her, Nick, and… Julie. She acted like she didn’t hear, but Carrie knows—Julie is a terrible liar.

Her dad, though? A thief? She’d be more angry if a part of her didn’t question the possibility. It’s no secret her dad’s career isn’t what it used to be. His first album made the charts. It was the beginning of everything: his rise to stardom, to success, to worldwide fame and fortune and admiration for his music. But now? His latest albums still sell, but nothing to compare. So—she’s been wondering for years—what happened?

He isn’t home when she is. Typical—he spends all of his time out, either at the studio, therapy, or yoga. He’s obsessed with yoga. She heads straight to his room. It’s neat; nothing is out of place. Nothing is ever out of place. Standing in the doorway, rocking on her heels and tapping a manicured finger against her lip, she considers the layout. If _she_ was hiding dark secrets from her past, where would she put them?

Closet?

No, too obvious.

There are sleek black wine cabinets at the foot of his bed. The inside is constantly stocked with the finest alcohol money can buy. Behind the bottles and shot glasses are mirrors, smudge free and glaring under the LED lights.

When she and Julie were young, they snuck a peek inside. With a shiny exterior, how could two ten year olds resist? Julie loved the mirror. She’d reached for it, skillfully navigating through the maze of bottles to touch the it. There was a corner—Carrie’s eye dart to it—that never seemed to stay. At first, Julie thought it was her fault. She slid her fingers beneath the panel easily, and it popped off the wall with little resistance. Just as they were panicking over how to fix it, Carrie’s dad burst in, frantic, angry, and eager to get them away. Carrie always thought it was because of the alcohol.

Once she gets the corners up, the panel falls away easily. The mirror is as thin as paper. Why put something so cheap inside of an expensive wine cabinet?

Perhaps because photos stick better, she wonders as she turns it over and stops.

A collage covers the backside. Polaroids— _actual Polaroids_ —of people she’s seen only on stage: Julie’s band. They’re _real._ And they’re posing with her _dad._ They’re writing music in Julie’s studio. Sitting at the back of a classroom with a teacher writing on a black board. Crowded around a cake with the lead guitarist blowing out the candles. Shoving said cake in each other’s faces.

_Standing in front of the Orpheum._

Keys jingle down the hall. She hears his voice: happy, joking with whoever he’s on a call with. The closer he gets, the faster Carrie’s heart beats. She doesn’t try putting things back. This is long overdue.

He stops short in the doorway. She can imagine his face: frozen; eyes about to pop out of his head; jaw hanging open.

“Carrie,” he says, and oh, she’s wrong. He’s not shocked. He’s also _not_ happy anymore.

She climbs to her feet slowly. The panel hangs from her fingers in a death grip, but she hides her nerves well: her other hand rakes through her hair casually, like she’s just combing out a few tangled strands.

“Hey dad,” she says, smiling, turning the panel around for him to see. She isn’t happy either. “Care to explain?”

**~**~**~**~**

**JULIE**

After dinner, Julie returns to the studio in her pajamas with a blanket and a pillow tucked under her arm. She’s sheepish when she slips past the door and the guys look at her in confusion.

“Hey,” Alex says, raising an eyebrow at her supplies.

“Hey, um, I was thinking of sleeping out here tonight.” She rocks on her heels. “I mean, if that’s okay.”

Luke chuckles. “Of course it’s okay. Did you forget this is actually _your_ house?”

Julie hums, and her lips curl into a weak smile. “Right,” she says. “Were you guys going out tonight?”

Reggie shrugs. “Maybe. We don’t sleep, so that’s what we usually do.”

“Oh.” _Of course_ they go out at night; how else are they going to spend their time? Now Julie feels silly, blanket and pillow under her arm, expecting them to just be there the whole night, so she wouldn’t have to sleep in a room shared by something she couldn’t see. She shakes her head. “Yeah, of course.”

“But we can stay here," Alex offers, like he can see right through her, "if you want us to."

Luke nods. “Yeah. We don’t have to go out tonight.”

Reggie looks at her pillow and blanket. “Do you want the couch? Or the loft?” He frowns at Luke and Alex. “Wait, is there a bed up there?”

Luke doesn’t answer. He takes Julie’s hand and leads her to the couch anyway. “It’s comfier than it looks,” he says, smiling. “Trust me.”

Of course it is. She remembers having her own sleepovers out there with Carrie and Flynn. They somehow managed to all squeeze on the couch, no doubt sleeping more on each other than the actual cushions.

When she lays down, Luke pulls her blanket over her. She can’t fight back a smile or the blush, so instead, she buries her face in the pillow.

“We’ll be here if you need us,” he tells her quietly, like it’s a secret meant only for her.

It takes her a while to fall asleep. The guys hangout and talk as if she isn't there, mainly falling into discussions about a time Julie’s only heard about. They reflect on funny stories from high school, bad dates at a local pizza shop called Joe’s, a spontaneous trip to Vegas with Reggie’s older brother when they were fifteen. She wishes she could stay awake long enough to hear more of their past lives. They don’t talk about it enough when she’s around to hear it.

With them constantly chatting, she doesn’t think about the strange feeling in her room or the deadline Caleb’s given her. For the first time in hours, she can feel her body truly begin to relax. She drifts, finally, and their voices fade into a warm buzz.

**~**~**~**~**

Why did they turn down a musician’s afterlife _dream_ the first time?

When she wakes, the only light on is a lamp on a corner table near Luke. He’s the only one around; Alex and Reggie are gone. He’s slumped in a chair, notebook on his lap and the erasure of a pencil bouncing against his chin. The couch squeaks when she sits up; he looks over and smiles.

“Hey Jules,” he says softly, but his voice is loud enough for that time of night. “I think it’s too early to wake up.”

Julie pulls the blanket over her shoulders. “Luke?” she mumbles, looking around before her gaze settles on him again. “You guys never told me what Caleb’s club was like.”

He frowns, pauses, then closes his notebook. Julie turns toward him as he makes his way to the couch. He says, "That's random.”

She shrugs. “I guess I had a dream about it.”

That wasn’t a solid lie, and he doesn’t seem to believe her, but he runs with it anyway. “He put on a whole show with a full house and dozens of dancers. There was so much _glitter_ and _magic.”_ Luke sighs. “Hate to admit it, but he knows how to throw a party. You would’ve liked it. Oh, and we could eat there! They served the _best_ food.”

Julie smiles; it's fake. “Sounds amazing. I see why you didn’t want to leave.”

He frowns. “No, we—Time moves differently there, I think. The _second_ I realized how late we were, I dragged them out of there.”

“What made you turn down his offer?”

“We already had a band.”

“What if I was there?” She isn’t looking at him. “What if I, like, sold my soul or something, and I could be there with you? To perform and everything?”

Luke shakes his head slowly. “Where is this coming from?”

When Julie takes a deep breath, it’s shaky again. “I wasn’t with Nick earlier. I mean, I was, but it wasn’t him. It—He—” She drops her head to her hands. This is _crazy._ She can’t believe ghost possession is a thing. She especially can’t believe said ghost is threatening to either kill Nick or take her soul by the end of tomorrow. What _is_ this? Just last month, her only worry was whether she'd get back into the music program or not!

“Hey.” Luke gently pries her hands away from her face. Then his fingers curl under her chin, and he forces her to look at him. “Talk to me, Julie. Tell me what’s going on.”

She sighs. “Caleb is possessing Nick.”

“He— _What?”_

“And I followed him to his club,” she continues, even though Luke’s pulled away now, overthrown with shock and staring with his jaw dropped. “I knew he was acting weird, but I didn’t expect—!” Julie shakes her head, taking a minute to straighten her thoughts. “He wanted to write a song with me and I refused, obviously, but then he… he said he’d kill Nick if I didn’t. He said I only have _one day_ to make a decision.”

“Why are you only saying something _now?”_

“He told me not to tell anyone!” Julie shrugs helplessly, pulling the blanket tighter around her. “I was afraid of what would happen if I did. I know he can’t do anything to _me,_ but he still has Nick!”

Luke clenches his jaw. “You’re _not_ writing a song with him.”

“Yeah, duh. I don’t know what else to do, though.” Julie pauses, chewing her lip. “What if I used my… ghosty powers?’

He breathes a laugh, even though she can tell he's still frustrated at and worried for her. _“You_ don’t have ghosty powers.”

She scoffs. “I _so_ have ghosty powers. _Who_ lifted Caleb’s stamp?” She hums knowingly, grinning.

“Yeah, but _who_ escaped the _exclusive_ Hollywood Ghost Club and made it to the concert?”

 _“Technically_ Alex did it first.”

Luke rolls his eyes. “That’s ‘cause he was in the back. Caleb wasn’t focused on him.”

 _“Sure.”_ Julie looks around. “Where’d Alex and Reggie go, anyway?”

“Out.”

“I guess watching me sleep isn’t _too_ exciting.” She snickers.

Luke grins. “Actually, Reggie finds your snoring _adorable.”_

Julie smacks his arm. “I don’t snore!”

“It’s okay, it’s only a _little_ noticeable.” He catches her wrist when she tries swiping at him again. Then he pins her other hand to the couch before she can retaliate. Now they're frozen, inches from each other with Luke's hands around hers. They're _so close._ Involuntarily, she swears, Julie's eyes drop to his lips for only _a split second._ Then he's releasing her, leaning away and staring at the drum set instead and running a hand through his hair. 

She decides to take pity on him and not mention whatever _that_ was—for both of their sakes, really. It was so _casual._ She wouldn't be surprised if he'd done the same to Alex or Reggie before. But then, he's just like that with people: touchy and affectionate. So, was that just a friend thing? She's choosing to say yes to remind herself that this can't happen, not with a ghost! An actual ghost! But—but secretly, she wants to _believe_ no. She wants to believe that wasn't just a friend thing because she wants to believe he doesn't see her as _just_ a friend. 

“Hey, Julie?” Luke asks, startling her from her thoughts. “Why’d you come down here tonight?”

Julie laughs. “What, don’t want me?”

“No, no.” He shakes his head. “You know that’s not it. You just kind of freaked us out, that's all. You’ve never stayed down here before.”

She sighs, averting her gaze. “Yeah, um… I think there’s a—There’s something in my room.”

_“Something?”_

“A ghost.”

“Geez, Julie!” Luke cries. “Anything else you forgot to mention?”

“I thought I was just imagining things!”

“Three fourths of your band is made up of ghosts.”

“But I couldn’t _see_ anything!”

“You can’t see other ghosts?”

“Apparently not!” She slumps against the couch with a heavy sigh. “I just… feel safer down here. With you guys.”

The corner of Luke’s mouth twitches. “Good,” he says. “Then you know that whoever or whatever is in your house isn’t going to bother you, okay? Not while we’re here.” He shifts closer, wrapping an arm around her shoulders for a hug. They hug a lot more now that they can touch each other. She hugs Alex and Reggie, too. They’re just platonic hugs, you know? And when she sinks into his side and snuggles into his protective embrace, it’s really just one friend looking out for another.

Alex and Reggie return a few minutes later. It’s 3 AM, she learns. Too early to stay awake. She fills them in on what’s going on; they’re as freaked as she is, even before she mentions the _thing_ in her room.

“What’re you going to do?” Reggie asks, taking a seat in the chair next to her.

Julie shakes her head and yawns. “I don’t know.”

“Well, you’re not going to figure it out tonight,” Alex says. “You should get some sleep.” 

Julie smiles. “Good idea.”

Luke moves to stand next to Alex while Julie lays back down. She fluffs her pillow and pulls her blanket over her shoulder. When she looks up, Luke is smiling down at her.

“And we’ll be here,” he says. Promises. Her heart is surely swelling with warmth.

This time, their conversation isn’t as lighthearted and nostalgic. She can hear them whispering in the corner, trying to devise a plan. She doesn’t think it’s going well.

It’s hard to say if she actually manages to sleep that night. Her eyes fluttered shut and her body stilled, and when the guys check on her throughout the night, she _appears_ to be peaceful. But her dreams are awake and vivid. She’s restless, even if she’s the only one who’s aware.

Because tomorrow, she sees _him_ again.

And she has to make a decision.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Carrie reveals surprising information while Alex reveals… well, himself.

**JULIE**

Her room isn’t empty when she enters the next morning to get ready for school. She can tell there’s extra weight lingering as soon as she walks through her doorway. Freezing mid-step, hugging her pillow and blanket to her chest, she scans the room for anything weird. You know, she _could_ just go to school in her pajamas.Throw on a jacket and some sneakers, and she’ll be set. She doesn’t _have_ to confront this thing right now, this early.

But then—a pen on her dresser rises, all on its own. Her pillow drops from her arm along with her jaw falling open. Why is she so rattled by a floating object? Maybe because she’s never actually watched it _float._ On her end, she can always see who’s doing the floating.

“Who are you?” she demands, hesitantly pushing the door shut. “Why are you still in here?”

There’s a journal on her dresser. She doesn’t use it anymore—her therapist bought it for her at the beginning of their sessions. It hasn’t been touched for months until this spirit begins flipping through the pages.

They pause a few entries in. Julie raises an eyebrow. “Now you’re hanging around my room _and_ reading my journal? Not cool, dude.”

The journal snaps shut. And the pen still floats.

She rocks on her heels before finally moving forward, stopping at her bed first to drop off her things before turning to a box next to her bed. There’s a notebook on top leftover from the previous school year. She opens it to an empty page and lays it on her bed.

“Here,” she offers. “Tell me who you are and what you want.”

The first thing they write in hurried handwriting is: _Sorry._

Then: _Caleb told you not to tell them._

Julie scoots across her bed, maybe to tuck her legs under her, maybe to peek out the window and hopefully catch one of the guys’ attention. Hard to say.

“How do you know Caleb?” she asks.

_I’m Willie_

She nods slowly, as if that name means something, but really, she’s drawing a blank. “Nice to meet you,” she says. “I’m Julie. Did Caleb send you to spy on me? If so, that’s weird.”

The pen pauses. Julie wishes she could see this guy, at least to figure out what he’s thinking.

_I’m friends with Alex and the guys_

“Oh, _are_ you?” she replies, sarcastic and untrusting and challenging. _Of course_ he’d know their names if he’s working for Caleb. She isn’t giving in that easily.

“Julie!” her dad calls up the stairs. “Breakfast!”

“Coming!” Julie rolls off her bed and walks toward her couch. She pauses, looking back at her bed. “I need to change so, uh, you better be gone.”

Her room feels lighter, but still, she changes in the bathroom.

Reggie is downstairs, like he usually is in the mornings. Julie only sees him at first, so she sighs with relief and says breathlessly, “Reggie—”

Then, as he looks over with a faltering smile and eyebrows drawing together with concern, her dad passes the doorway and turns to her. “What was that?” he asks.

“Huh?” Julie’s eyes widen. “Uh, nothing! I didn’t say anything. Um. What’s for breakfast?”

Reggie typically returns to the studio while they eat, but he lingers today. He roams the kitchen, pretending to be interested in spice cabinets and the type of hardware they have. Or, maybe he actually _is_ intrigued—she wouldn’t be surprised; he’s so easily entertained by their lives.

Carlos seems to be taking his time with breakfast. And Julie’s mind is elsewhere as she looks around, waiting for Willie to show up again, and maybe Reggie to react to him. She really wants to believe he’s friends with the guys and _not_ working for Caleb.

Ray finishes first, and as he’s heading for the stairs, that’s when Carlos finally speaks: “So, I looked into the exorcism thing.”

Reggie, who had been making his way over while her dad left the kitchen, is just taking a seat next to Julie when his eyebrows shoot up, and he turns to her with big eyes. She told them about the Caleb thing, but the _exorcising of demons_ had purposely never surfaced in their conversation. She hoped they’d never know—mainly because of the way he’s looking at her: a mixture of _‘What the hell?’_ and _‘Are you insane?’._

“We’re not—” She shakes her head, glancing quickly at Reggie before meeting her brother’s _suspiciously excited_ gaze again. “No.”

“It’s actually not that hard—”

Julie scoffs. _“Sure_ it’s not.”

“Look.” Carlos slides his phone across the table. “You just surround the person with salt and say those words.” He points at the text. Julie casually pushes the phone closer to Reggie, pretending like it’s easier for her to see. They lean over the table and read the article together.

Reggie isn’t convinced. “You really think that’ll work on Caleb?”

Julie repeats, “Do you really think that’ll work?”

Carlos shrugs. “I don’t know; this _is_ my first—” he lowers his voice to a stage whisper—“exorcism. But, it’s worth a shot.”

“So, just salt and a few magic words? That’s it?”

“Oh no, there’s more.” Carlos smirks. “I’ll tell you all about it _after_ you fill me in on why you need to know.”

Reggie huffs. “Little Man is _good.”_

Julie rolls her eyes. “Not really,” she mutters. She pushes back her chair and grabs her empty bowl of cereal. “Nice try. I’ll take my chances with what you’ve given me.” As she turns to the sink, she hears the other chair scrape across the floor.

“Wait!” Carlos cries. He races after her. “Does this have to do with your ghost band? Are they _evil?_ Are they holding you hostage and forcing you to perform with them?!”

Reggie gasps. “What! _Rude!_ We just love Julie’s voice.” His eyes are wide and innocent, reminding Julie of an emoji she uses a lot.

Julie swallows her smile with a smirk at Carlos. “No.” She ruffles his hair, just because she knows he doesn’t like it. “To all of those questions.” She laughs at his glare as she walks away.

Reggie falls into step with her. “You could’ve told him _something.”_

“He doesn’t need to know _anything,_ Reggie.”

“But he said there’s more to the exorcism!”

“Rule Number One of Little Brothers: they’ll say _anything_ just to get you to admit something.”

He sighs. “Yeah, I know… But still, why can’t you tell him about us? _At least_ so he doesn’t think we’re _evil!_ You know he warned us the night of the Orpheum? He did the ‘I’ve got my eyes on you’ thing at Luke! Or, well, he _tried—”_

Julie sighs. “Trust me, not telling him is better for everyone. If he knows, he’ll bug us constantly. We’d never get anything done!”

Reggie chews on his lip. He holds her gaze for a few seconds before looking away with a sigh. “Fine,” he says. “Whatever you say. Oh, we’re going to school with you today.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

He raises an eyebrow. “Well, _you_ can tell Luke that. Now that we know who and where Caleb is, he doesn’t want you going alone.” He shrugs. _“None_ of us do. You’re losing three to one right now.” Reggie nods toward the door, and she follows him out.

“It’s just—” Julie drags a hand down her face. “Caleb told me not to tell anyone, and it’s bad enough that Flynn knows and will probably be acting weird. If you guys show up suddenly, he’ll know I told.”

“But what if he tries something?” Reggie opens the studio door for her.

“Thanks,” she says. He smiles and nods in return. “He won’t in school. He’s not that stupid.”

“Are you guys talking about Caleb?” Alex asks. He and Luke are on the couch, feet on the coffee table.

“Julie says we can’t go with her today,” Reggie whines. He take seat on the couch arm next to Luke, shoulders hunching forward.

Luke jumps to his feet. “We’re not letting you go alone.”

“If you guys show up today and act all protective, he’s going to know you know!”

“Maybe we just go with you to school every day. He doesn’t know _that.”_

“You weren’t there yesterday!” she cries. Luke huffs. Julie sighs, rubbing her temple. She continues, “Look. I can handle a school day with him. Besides, Flynn will be there. She knows too.”

Alex stands next to Luke. “What about after school? Aren’t you supposed to go somewhere with him?”

Julie shakes her head. “I’m planning to lie to come home first.”

“He’s not going to let it go that easily,” Reggie says dryly.

“I know.” Julie wipes her hands on her jeans. “It’s going to be fine, alright? I’m not a ghost—what can he _really_ do?”

“Don’t jinx it,” Alex warns. “I don’t want to find out.”

Neither does Julie, really. She shakes her head, forcing a smile. “Okay. I’ll—Hey.” She suddenly remembers the other reason she wanted to talk to them today.

“Hey,” Luke replies with a chuckle.

“Who’s Willie?”

Alex reacts the most: chin jerking up, eyebrows furrowing, hands disappearing in his sweatshirt pocket. The others share a look behind his back, confused and surprised.

“He helped us with the Caleb thing,” Alex explains. “How do you—”

As if his name summons him—maybe _that’s_ how ghosts work?—Willie’s beside her. She can tell by the heaviness in the air. She turns to him, even though he’s still just invisible to her. “You could’ve told me you helped them with the Caleb thing.”

“You can _see_ him?” Reggie asks.

“No, but he’s there, right?”

They’re all looking at that spot, so there’s her answer, but Alex nods anyway.

Julie pulls at the sleeves of her crewneck, watching her friends watch Willie. “So,” she says, catching their attention, “he’s a good guy? He’s on our side?”

Alex’s mouth twitches into a half smile. “Yeah,” he answers, nodding. “He’s a good guy.”

“And he says he’s sorry for scaring you,” Reggie adds.

Luke’s watching him. “He knew Caleb told you not to tell us, so he wanted to make sure you were okay.”

Julie chews on her lip. Why did no one tell her ghosts could be so sweet and caring, even those who don’t even know her? She looks at Willie. “Thank you,” she says. “That’s actually really thoughtful.”

"Is it just as thoughtful for us to accompany you to school to make sure you're okay too?" Reggie asks hopefully.

Julie rolls her eyes. "I appreciate the worry, but stay away from school! I'll be fine!"

Reggie huffs, defeated. When she turns to leave, he says, “Later.”

And Alex calls: “Be careful!”

And Luke—Luke actually follows her for two steps before stopping at the door. He looks like he has something to say, but nothing ever comes. So, Julie gives a small wave and shuts the door behind her.

**~**~**~**~**

**CARRIE**

Julie jumps when Carrie taps her on the shoulder.

She raises an eyebrow. “What’s your deal?” she asks in a tone that suggests she doesn’t actually care. Really, she’s only the slightest bit curious. Flynn’s usually the more skittish one.

“Nothing,” Julie says with an eye roll. “What do you want?”

Carrie scans the hallway while reaching into her purse, as if she’s about to reveal classified information. She plucks a photo from her notebook and holds it between them, a shiny purple nail curling around the edge. “Found this in that wine cabinet my dad never let us get into.”

“Cause we were ten, and there was alcohol—” Julie argues as she grabs the picture. It’s foggy, the lighting is off, but their faces are bright and familiar. Cake smeared on Reggie’s face. Alex’s hands covered in icing; the obvious culprit. Luke facing the camera behind Reggie, eyes squinty, mouth open in the middle of a laugh. They look so carefree. So happy.

Julie flips the photograph over. In quick handwriting—not neat, but not ineligible—reads: 

_Luke’s 16th birthday_

_Reggie, Luke, Alex_

“You don’t seem shocked that my dad would have that,” Carrie observes.

“If you know about the guys, then you have to know they told me all about your dad,” Julie answers. She looks up. “Can I borrow this?”

Carrie’s eyes flicker between her and the photograph. Agreement is on the tip of her tongue; she doesn’t have to question because, if the guys in that picture are as real as they seem on stage, she knows they should see it. Her dad loved going through the photos last night, telling her more about his friends and less about the career he built on a lie; it’s as if he boarded them up after their deaths and hadn’t looked at them since. She didn’t badger him too much about what happened after the summer of ‘95. Really, she was too swept up in this life her dad swore never happened.

“If you tell me what the deal is with them,” she finally decides. She almost reaches for the picture, but she doesn’t. Julie’s holding on too tight, anyways; Carrie doesn’t have it in her to pry it away.

“It’s a little confusing,” Julie admits. “I don’t get it much either. Basically: they’re ghosts. No one can see them but me.”

“Except when you perform?”

“I wish I had a better explanation.”

“So, who’s Caleb?”

Julie snaps her head up. “How do you know about Caleb?”

Carrie quirks an eyebrow at the reaction. “My dad mentioned him once last night.” She crosses her arms over her chest. Quieter, she admits, “I don’t think he meant to. I tried asking about him, but Dad refused to talk about it anymore. He kept trying to distract me with stories from high school.”

“Your dad knows about Caleb,” Julie repeats to herself. She reaches a hand up to play with her necklace while looking around the hallway. Carrie—unbelievably—wonders if one of the guys from that picture is around. Have they always lingered nearby?

“Does he have anything to do with why Nick is acting so weird?” Carrie demands.

“Yeah,” Julie answers with a dry laugh. “He had to have been influenced to be that mean if dating _you_ for so long never broke him.” She glances back at Carrie, who’s glaring at her.

“You’re one to talk,” Carrie snaps.

Julie sighs. “Sorry—”

The bell cuts her off. Students scatter, bidding their goodbyes and splitting off into their classrooms. Julie closes her locker and meets Carrie’s gaze. “We’ll have to talk later,” she says. She hands over the picture.

Carrie chews on her lip. She looks from the picture to Julie to the hallway, and then she’s turning to leave. “Keep it,” she says over her shoulder. “My dad has plenty.” 

Then she walks off, and she swears she can feel more than one pair of eyes trailing after her. ****

**~**~**~**~**

**JULIE**

He whispers, lips right next to her ear, a dangerous voice that melts words on his tongue: _“Good morning, Julie.”_

She tenses against him, hairs on the back of her neck standing on end. The buzz of the hallway disappears, and the only thing she can hear is her own blood rushing through her ears. Flynn isn’t around; she must already be in class. Or maybe she’s running late—Julie’s eyes flicker down the hall nervously. Bad timing to be tardy.

They’re heading for the music room. As soon as they’re both inside, he kicks the door shut behind him. Julie puts as much distance between them as she can. Once she’s far enough away—practically on the other end of the room—she says, “Nick isn’t usually that…” Julie takes a deep breath, trying to steady her heart. _“Close.”_

“Yes, I’m receiving a lot of feedback on this ‘new Nick’,” Caleb says, shoving his hands in his jacket pockets. Her own are hooked in front of her, grip tight around her own fingers. He watches her movements, eyes lurking over her like a cat, an amused smirk on his lips. “I think it’s an upgrade.”

Julie scoffs. “It’s not.”

“I hope you’ve thought over my offer. I plan to debut my new talent at tonight’s show.”

She ignores the part where he claims her talent as his own, even though that doesn’t sit right in her stomach. “I thought only ghosts play at your shows.”

He smirks. “You’re an exception, dear.” He leans toward her, closing the distance quickly. “Like usual, it seems.”

Julie steps away. He doesn’t back off when she doesn’t respond, but why would he? This guy’s a freak when it comes to the effect he has on others, good or bad. He’s thriving; she hates it.

“How much longer do you plan to, um…”

Caleb chuckles. “Possess your friend here?”

 _Possess._ That word doesn’t even sound _real._

He hums. “I suppose as long as it takes you to accept my offer.”

“So, I have no choice.” She looks up at him, unimpressed. “That’s your thing, huh? Back people into corners?”

“That’s usually how business operates, darling.”

The corner of Julie’s mouth curves into a smirk. “Didn’t work for the guys.”

Caleb’s face remains neutral, but his eyes are heavy and dark, and Julie wants to move away again. She doesn’t. Unlike yesterday at his club, she’s not alone. Though her friends aren’t around, she can still hear the amicable chatter coming from the hallway. It's merely background noise, but at least it's _in the background._ Yesterday, the club was quiet. Undisturbed. Practically empty.

“Like I said,” he growls. “An _exception.”_

Alex appears right in between them. “There you are!” he cries when he sees her. “Luke and Reggie wanted to check the _gym_ first.” He rolls his eyes. “They’re idiots sometimes. What’s wrong? Why do you look so—” Alex stops, like everything’s finally sinking in, and Julie is really thanking God that he’s the one who found her first because she doesn’t have to say anything, and he just _knows_ they aren’t alone. She loves the others, really, but sometimes, Alex is a bit quicker on his feet.

“Everything okay, Julie?” Caleb calls innocently.

Alex and Julie share a moment of silence, mirroring each others’ panicked faces before Julie discreetly ushers him over. He steps aside to stop blocking her, but he’s only mere inches away; she could simply shift her weight and brush her arm with his, and again, she’s thankful.

“Yeah,” she answers. “Yep. I just remembered that I… have to pick up my little brother after school.” Julie nods, rocking on her heels. “And my dad will be mad if I don’t.”

“Oh, then we can meet at your house and go from there.” Caleb smiles. Julie grits her teeth. He continues, “I’m sure I don’t have to remind you how _important_ this assignment is.” Raising his chin, he smirks. “There’s really a lot riding on this, you know?”

“Right. I know.”

“So, after school?”

Julie plasters a fake smile on her face. “After school. Okay.”

While Caleb heads for the door, she glares at his back and her hands ball into fists. She’s sick and frustrated all at once. Alex shifts beside her. 

She looks over, expecting to see Luke and Reggie, and at that same time, Caleb has a bright idea. He spins on his heel, calling out, “Oh, and!” Quicker than her eyes darting to him, he’s storming across the room, jaw set, eyes ablaze with _something._ Something that makes her stomach twist and turn over. Julie staggers back, creating distance he isn’t up for providing because he _keeps coming._

Caleb is inches from her, reaching out, red in the face and gritting his teeth, and then Alex—!

Alex is _there._ He’s moving forward, standing against him. Standing _for_ her. She grabs his wrist first in surprise, then she realizes what he’s doing, and her grip slips, and their fingers intertwine.

And Caleb stops.

He stops with his fingers wrapped around Alex’s arm, because apparently Alex’s best tactic was to shove him back. He stops with his clenched teeth framed in a chilling grin.

And her world freezes over.

“You broke the rule,” Caleb hisses, _“Julie.”_

Then the classroom door is thrown open. Then Luke and Reggie appear behind Caleb. Then time falls back into place like a crumbling glacier plummeting into the Arctic, and—and Flynn is rushing toward her. Reggie’s arm is looped around Luke’s, holding him back. Julie has Alex’s other wrist in a death grip.

_Caleb is walking away._

“What just happened—” 

“Alex!”

“Are you guys okay?”

Tears in her eyes, she shoves Alex.

He stumbles, looks back at her with wide eyes. “What—”

“Why did you do that!” she cries. She shoves him again. “You guys aren’t supposed to know!”

Reggie and Luke intervene—Luke catches her around the waist, while Reggie keeps an arm in front of Alex—but she doesn’t notice. She doesn’t think Alex does, either.

“He—I didn’t know what he was going to do!”

“He could’ve stamped you again!”

“Do you really think I’d let him get that close to you?” he cries, half angry. “You know damn well if Luke or Reggie had been here, they would’ve done the _same thing!”_

Julie’s breaths are staggered. When she shifts into Luke, the fight draining out of her, he only holds tighter. “I’m not a ghost,” she defends. “He can’t hurt me.”

“We don’t know that for sure,” Reggie argues softly.

“He’s possessing a lifer,” Alex adds. Now that they’re both calming down, she notices the way he’s rubbing his wrist. She can’t take her eyes off of it. “That means you’re not invincible.”

“Did he stamp you?” she asks. Demands, more like. Luke and Reggie look at him too.

“Alex?” Luke says.

“No,” Alex answers. He pushes his sleeve up for proof. “I’m fine. I just—” Breathing a laugh, he jokes, “I gotta have PTSD or something.”

“Dude, me too,” Reggie agrees.

Julie wipes her eyes. “Thank you,” she tells Alex. “For saving me.”

Alex sighs. “Julie, you’re not doing this alone.”

“Yeah,” Luke agrees. “You have us.”

“And Flynn,” Reggie adds, nodding his head toward her.

“And Willie, who will definitely be at the club with you later,” Alex promises.

The classroom door opens again. Carrie struts in, bangles clinking together with every wave of her hands, heels echoing in a steady, determined rhythm. She doesn’t look at Flynn as she passes. Alex isn’t keen on jumping in front this time, so Carrie stops inches from Julie. Luke’s still there though, still has her in a protective embrace. She can imagine his face: cautious, sharing looks with the guys.

“Whatever’s going on with Nick,” Carrie says, raising her chin to stare down her nose at Julie, “and whatever plan you have to get him out of it, I want in.”

“You what?” Julie breathes. “Why?”

“For him, obviously.” Carrie looks around. “Is your ghost band going to be there too?”

“What?!” the guys exclaim.

“You _told_ her?” Flynn demands, walking over. She stands next to Julie with her arms crossed. “Seriously?”

“She figured it out!” Julie defends.

Flynn rolls her eyes. “I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that the _demon_ found out about the _ghost_ band.”

Carrie ignores Flynn. “So, spill.”

Julie hesitates. She glances at Flynn, to the guys, then she breaks away from Luke. She toe-to-toe with Carrie, holding her heavy gaze.

“Remember what you told me earlier?” Julie asks. “About Caleb?”

“What about it?”

“Why does she know Caleb?” Alex whispers.

Julie sighs. “It’s the same guy. He has Nick," she says. "And he wants me next.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Operation: Save Julie and Nick

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi there! happy friday on a tuesday day! i'm sending my best wishes your way on this rare, nearly unheard of holiday!
> 
> (last week was busy with work—mainly—and school. sorry! i usually maintain updating schedules but, you know, life gets in the way sometimes!)

** LUKE **

Julie’s hug with Reggie lasts the longest. Perhaps it’s because he’s the last one. After she lets go of him, they go their separate ways. She has to meet Caleb in front of the school, go back to his club. The guys have to go home, worry about her for the rest of the day.

She buries her face in his chest, and he holds her tighter.

When they finally pull away, Luke moves closer. He takes her hand in his. “Hey,” he says. “Everything’s gonna be okay, right?”

Julie laughs despite herself. “Are you asking or telling me?”

“I’m telling you. We’ll be waiting for you later in the studio. All right?” His hand hesitates next to her face, then he works up the courage to brush a strand of her hair behind her ear. “Then we can get started on some of those news songs. Deal?”

She nods. “Deal.” Chewing on her lip, Julie leans into his touch as if it’ll be their last time.

Luke sees Caleb behind Julie, lingering at the end of the sidewalk, smirking, too smug for Luke’s patience. He can’t believe this is really happening. After they fought _so hard_ to get away from him, now they’re just handing the most important person to them over like it’s nothing. He intertwines his fingers with hers, pulling her as close as he can. 

They’re finished with hugs; this isn’t a hug. He kisses her forehead and pauses, waiting for her to reject him. Julie stares up at him with big eyes—so full of love and excitement that had to have sparked because of him, right? Despite everything, the corner of his mouth curls into a smile.

“Took you long enough,” she mumbles. Her forehead rests against his.

“I know,” he whispers. “So hurry back, okay? Don’t make me wait to do it again.”

Julie nods. “Okay.”

Reggie grabs Luke’s arm when Julie finally turns her back to leave. He doesn’t understand why at first, but then Caleb offers a hand to Julie, and she takes it, and Luke lurches forward with a fire where his soul should be. And Reggie’s fingers tighten around his arm, yanking him back, forcing him to let her go.

“Sorry,” Reggie mumbles once they’re gone.

“It’s okay,” Luke answers. His arm sags without Reggie’s grip. Turning to him, he adds, “Thanks.”

“She’ll be okay,” Alex says firmly.

Behind them, Carrie storms out of the school with Flynn at her heels. “I told Julie I was going to help with whatever plan she had. We never agreed on her leaving me with you.”

Flynn glares. “Actually, we _did._ _You_ just weren’t listening.” She moves in front of Carrie, stopping her in her tracks. The guys share a look before taking a large step _backward._ “We need to get Carlos from school first, then we’re going to meet Julie at the club. Caleb won’t know we’re coming that way.”

“Then what?” Carrie demands. “The only person who can get us in just walked away with the evil ghost we’re trying to get rid of!” She pauses. “Can’t believe I just said that.”

Flynn rolls her eyes. “Carlos has a plan.”

“You’re trusting a _ten year old?”_

“Hey, don’t underestimate him,” Flynn snaps. She tips her chin back to meet Carrie’s eye with a glare. “He has more figured out than _Julie.”_

While she and Carrie take a left toward the elementary school a few blocks down, the guys fall into step behind them.

“Are we just going to follow them around all day?” Reggie asks.

Alex frowns. “I figured you’d be happy about this.”

Reggie shrugs. “Don’t get me wrong; I’m happy to hangout with Carlos and Flynn, but…” He shoves his hands in his jacket pockets. “I just hate not being able to do anything.”

“Hey, it’s like Flynn said,” Luke argues. “They have a plan.”

“Yeah, um.” Alex purses his lips. “Not to take Carrie’s side here, but I don’t know how well Carlos’ plan is going to be. He’s a kid.”

“So are we.”

“He found a pretty solid article on exorcisms this morning,” Reggie admits.

“And he figured out who we are,” Luke adds.

“So did Julie after she played our CD, which has our _faces_ in it!” Alex says.

Reggie waves him off. “Whatever. I have faith in the Little Man.” 

Alex rolls his eyes.

“So,” Flynn begins, “how’d you find out about Sunset Curve?”

The guys share a look before picking up their pace to hear better.

“Nick—” Carrie shakes her head, catching herself. “Caleb, I guess, told me. He said my dad’s been stealing someone else’s songs. I looked through my dad’s secret compartment yesterday to see if it was true.”

“So?”

“I think you know the rest of it,” Carrie says dryly.

Flynn kicks a pebble across the sidewalk. “I meant,” she corrects, _“so why did he do it?_ Why’d he steal their songs?”

“Didn’t say.”

“Wouldn’t or couldn’t?”

“Wouldn’t.” Carrie shrugs. “But for years, he’s said nothing special happened during his high school careers. He always refused to talk about it. Last night, he wouldn’t _stop_ going on and on about his band.” She pulls at her purse strap over her shoulder.

In the silence that looms over the group, Reggie admits quietly, “I didn’t think he cared about us anymore.”

Luke doesn’t respond because, well, he never let himself think like that. Bobby, Trevor Wilson, whoever he is—he stole Luke’s songs at the beginning of his career. And he’s a jerk for that, but Luke has never stopped to consider the idea that he stopped caring.

“So anyway,” Carrie says loudly, as if she could feel the tension from behind, “we’re going to the club? I hope we have a better plan than that?”

“Carlos has spy gear he got for Christmas last year—”

“Oh my god.”

Flynn rolls her eyes. “—we’re going to use that to keep in touch while we sneak inside the club.”

“Do you really think it’ll be that easy?”

“If all you were planning to do was complain, why did you bother to come with us?”

They stop just before a busy street. Carrie turns to Flynn with her arms crossed, glaring at her right down her nose. Reggie, Luke notices, is inching toward Flynn. He has to smile. Even if Flynn can’t see him, Reggie still has her back. He thinks they’d get along well if they were visible to her.

“Because I want to save Nick,” Carrie answers shortly.

“And I want to save Julie _and_ Nick. So, we need to work _together_ instead of against each other.”

Reggie grins. “You tell her, Flynn!”

The light changes. While other pedestrians step off the curb, Flynn and Carrie continue staring each other down. Luke shifts his weight impatiently. He’s all for Flynn putting Carrie in her place, but couldn’t they do this and walk at the same time?

“Fine,” Carrie says, finally.

“Good.” Flynn walks off, leaving Carrie on the curb. Over her shoulder, she calls, “Then keep up.”

**~**~**~**~**

**REGGIE**

At first, Carlos talks to Flynn more than Carrie. She listens to him ramble about his day with a shocking amount of interest on her face, but Flynn is the one who reacts to and asks questions about his stories. Reggie wonders, while he watches the trio, if Carlos was ever friends with Carrie. Was he ever as animated with her as he is with Flynn now? Julie doesn’t talk about her past friendship with Carrie a lot. So unfortunately, Reggie is left spectualting.

But at the house, while Flynn goes ahead to raid the Molinas’ fridge, Carlos finally turns to Carrie. “Hey,” he says. “I didn’t think you’d be helping with this.”

“Of course,” she replies. “My ex boyfriend is in trouble. And Julie,” she adds when Carlos begins to roll his eyes. Carrie chuckles. “Still as sassy as ever, I see.” She extends a hand to him.

Reggie’s about to share a confused look with Alex and Luke, but then Carlos’ face lights up, and they perform an intricate handshake full of pinky promises and fist bumps. When he laughs, it echoes through the house. Reggie grins with him despite his confusion. Looks like they did have a better relationship than he expected—perhaps they still do.

“So,” Carlos says as he strolls into the kitchen, “my spy gear I got for Christmas still works, thankfully.” He walks past Flynn and Alex and opens a cabinet beneath the sink. He grabs a black backpack from inside and slings it over his shoulder.

“Do you usually keep your toys under the sink?” Flynn asks with a laugh.

Carlos grins. “A spy has to have his hiding places!” He unzips the bag and pours its contents onto the kitchen table. “Okay, I have four earpieces with built-in microphones that should still work.”

“Seriously?” Carrie asks. “You’re, like, nine. Where’d you get all this?”

“I’m ten,” he corrects. “And my tío buys me _anything_ I ask for.”

While Carlos works on the devices, Carrie side eyes Flynn. “And I thought I was spoiled,” she mutters. Flynn laughs out loud in surprise.

“Oh, we need one more thing here,” Flynn says, spinning on her heel to grab something from the kitchen. She returns with a notepad and pen, which she slides across the table toward the guys.

“What’s that for?” Carrie asks.

Alex—the self-chosen translator between them and the lifers—steps forward and grabs the pen. As soon as it leaves the table, Carrie and Carlos freeze. Carrie gasps. Carlos’ lips spread into a wide grin.

“Cool!” Carlos cries.

“What’s happening?” Carrie demands.

Alex pauses with the tip of the pen pressed to the paper. Luke leans over his shoulder. “Just say hi,” he says.

“You knew Julie’s band is made of ghosts,” Flynn says, shrugging. “Now you get to meet them. Informally, I guess. They’re easier to talk to mid-song.”

“Mid-song?” Carrie asks, turning to her.

Carlos races around the table. He stops inches from Luke and leans over the table. “Who are we talking to? What are your names?”

Alex writes their names across the paper and draws arrows to show off where they’re standing. Carlos watches the pen move in awe; he’s bouncing on the soles of his feet with excitement. Reggie grins.

“He’s adorable,” he tells Alex and Luke.

“Reggie,” Carlos repeats thoughtfully. He hums. “Julie said your name earlier, didn’t she? At breakfast? Whoa, did you eat breakfast with us?!”

Reggie reaches for the pen. He scribbles a small ‘Maybe? :)’ in the margin and turns the notepad around for Carlos to read it.

“Cool!!”

“Wait a second,” Carrie says. “If it’s a ghost club, can’t they just go in themselves?” She waves a hand at the guys.

“If it was that easy, we wouldn’t have let Julie go in the first place,” Luke mutters.

“Too dangerous,” Alex mumbles as he writes. “Caleb’s whole thing is owning souls. He almost destroyed us last time.”

Carrie leans over the table to read it. Then, she huffs. “Then what chance do we have?”

“We’re not ghosts,” Flynn answers. “He can’t own our souls if we’re not dead yet!”

“How are we getting in?”

“Undercover!” Carlos cries. “We’re going undercover, like real spies!”

“Uh-uh.” Flynn shakes her head. “You’re staying here.”

“But—”

“No buts! Just because it’s easier for us doesn’t mean it’s safe enough for a ten year old.”

Carlos huffs. He crossed his arms over his chest, furrows his eyebrow, and pouts his lip. “I want to help Julie too.”

“You _are_ helping,” Carrie says with a smile. “You’re letting us use your super cool spy gear—”

“—And someone has to stay behind to make sure we don’t lose each other!” Flynn adds. “You’ll be like our HQ! Everyone knows that’s the most important part of _any_ operation.”

Carlos hums, considering their words. Reggie reaches for the pen again. He feels Alex and Luke looking over his shoulder, so he reads aloud, “And Julie needs someone to cover for her, so your dad doesn’t get suspicious.”

Before he pushes the notepad to them, he adds: _See? You’re still protecting her._

Carlos looks over when the pad bumps his leg. His face softens immediately. He sighs, nods at the guys, then turns to the girls. “Okay,” he decides.

Flynn and Carrie share a smile. “Great,” Flynn says, reaching for an earpiece. “So tech wizard, do you know the range on these things?”

“I don’t know, um. Two hundred feet? Give or take.”

“Two hundred feet?” Carrie repeats.

Flynn shakes her head. “This place is across town. We won’t be able to stay in range.”

Carlos grins. “Oh? So I guess I _have_ to go now.”

Carrie ignores him. “Do you know where this place is at?”

“Uh… Not exactly.” Flynn grabs her phone from her pocket. “Let me check Maps.”

“I still can’t believe they can just look up a map on _that_ thing,” Alex says, pointing at her phone. “Like, anywhere in the world! They just type in a location!”

“I know we expected hoverboards in the future,” Luke says, shaking his head, “but honestly? This is still pretty cool.”

“Here it is,” Flynn announces, tipping the phone toward Carrie. “And look, there’s a park across the street. One of us could stay back with Carlos while the other goes in?”

“Wait, what?” Reggie cries. “Now _they’re_ splitting up?”

“Doesn’t sound like they have much of a choice,” Luke says.

“I can go,” Carrie offers.

“How are you going to get in?”

“I’ll say I’m Trevor Wilson’s daughter. He has to remember my dad.”

“No, but—but she can’t just go in _alone,”_ Alex argues.

“Are you sure about this?” Flynn asks. “We can figure out another way. I mean, maybe we could leave the earpieces behind—”

Luke shakes his head. He lurches forward, snatching the pen from Alex’s hand and scribbling a quick _NO_ on the page. The girls and Carlos look over. Alex reclaims his pen to clarify: _We want to make sure you guys are okay too. We’d rather be able to hear you._

“Didn’t think a couple of ghosts would care so much,” Carrie says. She glances at them before looking away. “Especially considering your history with my dad.”  
 _Just because your dad screwed us over, doesn’t mean we have anything against you,_ Alex writes.

“She’s actually… nicer than I thought,” Reggie admits.

“Funny how she gets like that when Julie’s not around,” Luke mutters.

Carrie stares at the notepad a little too long. Then she blinks and turns to Flynn and Carlos. “I can do it,” she states. “I need to know how my dad knows Caleb, anyways.” She nods firmly. “I’ve got this.”

Flynn and Carlos share a look across the table. Carlos shrugs. Flynn chews on her lip. “If you say so,” she says, shaking her head. She shoves an earpiece into Carrie’s hand. “Let’s get going then.”

**~**~**~**~**

**JULIE**

The stage is brighter than before, which Julie didn’t think was possible. A gorgeous white grand piano sits in the center, lit up by a row of spotlights across the edge of the stage floor. There’s someone already up there, playing a soft tune that she can’t recognize. He’s wearing black dress pants and a fancy shirt, but his shoes are dated sneakers. And his hair—his long, brown hair that falls just past his shoulders—is simple and wavy, not what she’d expect from a performer at a flashy club. Though, maybe it’s exactly what she’d expect from a performer wearing dated sneakers.

“William,” Caleb says as he guides Julie on stage.

William? “Willie?” she asks, shocked.

His eyes flicker between them nervously as he stands from the bench. “Hey, sorry,” he says, waving them over. “I was just messing around.”

Caleb isn’t looking at him anymore. “You know him?” he asks Julie.

Julie begins to respond, but then Willie gives her a look, and she stumbles. “Uh yeah—No! I mean no, not really—We’ve never met, obviously. Alex has just told me about him.” She pulls at the hem of her shirt. Did she say too much? Should she not have mentioned Alex? Perhaps she shouldn’t have said anything at all? She gives Willie her own nervous look.

Willie nods. “Yeah, I’ve only heard about her.”

Caleb hums, raising an eyebrow. “You have quite the reputation, Julie.”

“Yeah, hah… Guess so.”

He waves Willie away. “Step aside, William.” Caleb takes a seat on the bench and offers a hand to Julie. She doesn’t take it, but she still moves to sit next to him. While she and Willie pass each other, they share fearful expressions.

Caleb doesn’t seem to notice. He grins at her. “Now! We have work to do, don’t we?”

They work for an hour. Luke warned her about time moving differently, so she makes sure to keep an eye on the giant clock hanging over the stage. Caleb’s music style is different from hers—but it works, somehow. Each time he strings together a melody with one of her lines, she worries about the flow, and each time, he proves her wrong. Despite the type of person—ghost—he is, she has to admit: he _is_ a great musician.

She catches sight of Willie once and a while. He lingers, she’s noticing. Sometimes he’s fixing up tables with the staff. Others he’s at the bar, chatting up early bird guests. They catch each other's eye each time Willie is turning to find a new task. She smiles at him, both for reassurance and as a thank you. Who would’ve thought she’d have such caring ghosts in her life?

“So,” Julie begins, leaning over the piano to scribble in a new line, “how does the whole soul thing work? And the people here—they’re lifers, right? Like me?”

Caleb nods. “Yes, they’re still alive and well. We make a deal, you see. They ask for something, typically music related, and I give it to them in exchange for their souls residing in my club for all of eternity. It’s really a great exchange.”

“Where do you keep all of the souls? Do you have, like, a… Soul… Room?”

He chuckles. “Your creativity exceeds you, Julie. Yes, there is a special room where I keep my prizes. It’s called the Black Room, though.”

“Why the Black Room?”

“Because I only accept the brightest souls—the ones most untainted by inner demons. Plagued souls are a hassle, you know?—and the only way to store them is in the darkest room. They're quite bright.”

Julie scoffs. “There’s no way you cherry picked only perfect souls. I doubt those even exist.”

“That’s why I collect them young. Nobody’s perfect of course, but there’s a difference between the distraught and the disturbed.”

“Do you have any rock stars from the 80s or 90s? Bet those souls are damaged.”

“Drugs don’t damage the soul, darling.”

“That’s not what my school counselor says.”

A man walks over then, clad in white—seems to be a recurring theme here. “Sir,” he says to Caleb, “there’s a… teenage girl outside. She demands to speak to you.”

Julie is frowning when Caleb looks at her. “Another friend of yours?” he asks, unimpressed.

“No…” Julie shakes her head. “Flynn wouldn’t come here.” Not alone, anyways. She hopes.

“She says she’s Trevor Wilson’s daughter, sir.”

Caleb’s eyebrows raise. “Really?” he says. He’s intrigued; Julie is worried. What happened out there? The plan was to get inside together. Where’s Flynn?

“I’ll be back,” he tells Julie as he rises to his feet. “Feel free to look around, but ah—” He smirks. “Don’t leave. We’ve yet to seal the deal, after all.”

Julie smiles weakly. “Yeah. Right. I’ll… be here.”

She watches him disappear up the stairs. As soon as the guy in white slips out the door, she jumps to her feet. “Willie?” she calls, racing down the stairs. He’s waiting on the bottom—she isn’t sure whether he ghost poofed in or if he’s just that fast. “Hey.”

“Hey,” he says. “How are you doing?”

Julie hugs herself. “I feel like if I make a wrong move, it’s all over. And I still don’t know how I’m going to save Nick.”

“Nick?”

“The kid he’s possessing.”

Willie nods. “Oh. Right.”

“Do you… know anything about ghost possession?”

He chews on his lip, looking sheepish. “I don’t know much… but, I have heard that it takes a lot of energy to take over someone’s body.”

“Is it his own energy or Nick’s?”

“Probably both, but Caleb has to keep up a front to make sure Nick’s soul doesn’t push him out.”

“So, if he was weaker… he wouldn’t be able to keep possessing him?”

Willie shrugs. “As far as I know, that’s just a theory, but… yeah.”

Julie rocks on her heels. If she knew a way to weaken ghosts, then maybe they’d have a shot. “So,” she says, thinking out loud, “how does a ghost become more powerful?”

“It’s all about energy, I think. Our souls may not be attached to a physical body anymore, but our spiritual bodies still have some juice left that lets us pick things up and stuff.”

“Do you feed off other energies? Like, from lifers?”

Willie frowns. “Yeah, but… it’s not as bad as you’re thinking.”

Frankly, Julie wasn’t thinking of anything but how Caleb got to be so powerful. Now, she’s wondering about the guys. About Willie. About whatever makes her ‘special’ in the ghost world. Is it her energy? Has she just been a… a fountain of energy to drink from this whole time?

“We take what we want,” Willie continues softly, like he can hear her own concerning thoughts. “We take what we want, but we really don’t need a lot. Caleb wants more than he needs. That’s why he’s stronger.”

“You can’t just… take my energy.”

“It’s not like that! It’s—” Willie pauses, closes his eyes, probably sorts out his thoughts. When he opens his eyes, he tries a different approach, “Everything gives off energy, right? Everything. Even ghosts. We, unknowingly, take energy from things on a daily basis. You do too. We already have energy from our souls, which means really, we don’t _need_ to take from other things. But sometimes we _want_ to, I don’t know, write a letter or move a book or something, you know? So, we take energy from what’s around. But it’s nothing drastic.”

“Is that why Caleb collects souls?” she asks. “I bet having an entire soul at your disposal gives you the ability to do crazy things.”

Willie nods. “Yeah, exactly. He collects souls because they give him power.”

“So… if we were to, say, take those souls away…” Julie bites her lip thoughtfully. “It’d weaken him, right?”

He nods again, slower this time, eyes narrowed with suspicion. “Right… What’re you thinking?”

“I just have an… _idea.”_ Julie looks at the exit door on the second floor. No sign of Caleb or his servant—secretary—man. She looks back at Willie. “Do you happen to know where the Black Room is?”

**~**~**~**~**

** CARRIE **

~~Nick~~ Caleb raises an eyebrow when he steps through the doorway and sees Carrie waiting in the lounge—alone and tapping her foot impatiently. He takes her by surprise, even though he’s part of the duo she’s going in to save. She’s known for days that whoever has control in there isn’t Nick, and yet her skin still crawls when he looks at her like that.

“I asked for Caleb Covington,” she snaps. Her diva attitude feels like home as she stares down his annoyed glare. How dare he turn Nick—her sweet, caring Nick—into this hateful looking person? She doesn’t know if she’s angry or sad for the boy trapped inside.

“That’s me,” he says, flashing a charming smile that doesn’t reach his eyes. He’s as unamused with her as she is of him. Good.

“Well, I’m Carrie Wilson. I hear you know my dad.”

“Trevor Wilson? Who doesn’t know of him?”

She shakes her head. “I hear you made a deal with him.” Carrie leans forward, lowering her voice, “He tells me you made him a star. I want in on that.”

“You mean, your world famous father can’t give you the social boost you need?”

“He can, but I hear you work miracles.”

Caleb chuckles. “Perhaps for a high enough price. How old are you, Carrie?”

“Sixteen.”

He hums. “Your father was about your age when he first came to me.”

Her blood runs cold. “What?”

In the park across the street, she and Flynn created a story to tell Caleb. They decided, since deals are his thing, that devising a story about Carrie’s dad would be perfect. The lie was simple: Trevor sold his soul to kickstart his music career. It didn’t make sense with him being in a band, but that’s only a technicality. The story was just supposed to get her foot in the door. Carrie took her time crossing the street, mentally preparing to improve her way to Julie. She confidently strolled into the elevator, ready for anything. Or at least, ready to fake her way through anything.

Anything except learning that the dumb story they made up on the spot is actually _true._

“He had ambition and talent, but getting noticed has always been the hard part. He needed a boost.”

Carrie looks back at the couch. Hesitantly, she takes a seat. “How did you get him famous?”

Caleb doesn’t answer at first. He studies her, lips pursed. “Are you sure you want to know?” he says.

With a question like that, she has to. Her hand hovers over her ear—she pretends to fiddle with her earring and slips the earpiece out. As she drops it in her purse, she nods.

And so, he begins the story.

~**~**~**~

** WILLIE **

Willie’s passed the Black Room multiple times over the years. He first learned about it from a saxophone player in the band. At first, he’d just been curious and fascinated. A whole room full of souls. He always wanted to see it. Just a glimpse would satisfy him for eternity, he was certain.

But then he met Alex, and he found a new reason to get into the Black Room. After Caleb almost destroyed his crush—first crush in _decades,_ mind you—and his friends, Willie realized an eternity with Caleb may not be as great as it originally sounded. He’s wanted out for a month, but it’s impossible. Escaping Caleb is practically unheard of—well, it was until Julie and the Phantoms came along.

“It’s through there,” he says, pointing at a wooden arched door, towering over them. “But no ghosts are allowed in—only Caleb has the key.”

Julie looks up at him with a smirk, not cocky like Caleb’s, but not completely confident either. “What about a lifer?” she asks, already stepping toward the door.

He doesn’t know how she does it—he’s tried that door dozens of times, and he knows others have as well. It just doesn’t open for ghosts; Caleb made sure of that. But apparently, he never considered a _Molina._

The door clicks, simply. She looks back at him with big eyes while pushing it open. “I didn’t think it’d actually work,” she admits quietly.

“What’re you planning to do?”

Julie shrugs. “I don’t know, exactly. Maybe free some souls?”

“What—?!”

“Come on—” She tugs on his arm— “we don’t have a lot of time.”

The Black Room is exactly what he expected: towering shelves that stretch for days, providing the only light in an otherwise empty void. There are glass canisters in separate slots with gold name plaques plastered across the bottom. Each canister has a glistening orb of light, bright as the sun; if he stares too long, he begins to see spots. Even though he’s imagined this place more than once before, he still looks on in awe. The shelves stretch several feet into the sky. There isn’t a ceiling. Really, there isn’t a floor either. It reminds him of the Dark Room he spent time in when he first died. There’s nothing… Nothing except lost souls.

“Wow,” Julie says. “I know I asked about a Soul Room, but I didn’t actually expect a… Wow.” She looks at him. “It’s kind of pretty.”

“I’ve always wondered what it looked like in here.” Willie steps up to the first shelf. He reaches for a glass canister named CASEY CLAIBORNE, but his fingers stop inches away. He wonders who they are, how they ended up here. Are they a regular audience member at the club? Or are they in the band, rocking out on stage every night?

“Do you think, if we break the glass, the souls will be returned to their true owners?” Julie asks. She’s at his side, tipping her head back and gazing at them all; her eyes shine in their glow. 

“I don’t know,” Willie admits. “Maybe for the lifers. But for the ghosts… maybe they’re just released.”

“Released to where?”

He shrugs. “Wherever they were originally supposed to go.”

That troubles her. Julie scans the shelves quickly, but her eyebrows are furrowed. She leaves feather-like touches on the glass like they’re animals she doesn’t want to scare.

“Yours is here somewhere, right?” she asks.

Willie nods, sighing. “Somewhere.”

Julie’s fingers hook around a canister, and before either realizes what’s happening, it’s toppling over the edge. Willie gasps, lunging for it. Julie spins around, immediately thrusting her hands out. They’re not fast enough; it shatters at their feet.

The soul inside hovers between them. It’s warm; Willie didn’t think he’d feel warmth again. Ghosts are neither warm nor cold. It’s not a sensation that matters anymore. He’s wondered, more than once, if he’d be able to recognize temperature again, but this—He’s sure of this: it’s like bundling up under layers of blankets at his aunt’s place in Colorado. It’s coffee first thing in the morning, just hot enough to make his tongue numb from drinking it too fast. 

Willie takes a breath. _This_ is what a soul feels like? He almost wants to reach for it, but then it shoots into the sky like a firework, arching over them and disappearing through the door. He blinks; the warmth is gone. Across from him, Julie’s cheeks glisten with fresh tears.

“Are you okay?” Willie asks. “Why are you crying?”

“I don’t know,” she replies, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. “They just—They were so happy to be free.”

“How do you know?”

Julie shakes her head slowly. “I don’t know. It’s weird… I can’t really explain it. I think I could feel them? I knew they were grateful.”

This girl… She’s not like any lifer he’s ever met, both in his life and after.

“You’re kind of insane, you know that?” He chuckles. She smiles with him.

“Well, well, what do we have here?”

Willie and Julie freeze. _Busted,_ he thinks. _So_ _busted._

Julie turns to the door. “I—” she says, opening and closing her mouth, scrambling for something. “We were just—”

“You and William,” Caleb says strolling into the room, fixing a dark glare on Willie, “friends after all.”

“She wanted a tour—” Willie tries.

“I admit, I really underestimated you, Julie.” Willie moves closer to Julie while Caleb continues toward them. “You’re more powerful than I first imagined.”

“Yeah,” she says firmly, but Willie can hear her voice shake. She crosses her arms. “So are you, but at least my power is my _own._ Yours comes from _other people.”_

“Hey,” Willie whispers, “maybe _don’t_ insult him?”

“William,” Caleb says. “This is your second chance, remember? You let me down with Alex and the boys, but I agreed to give you another shot because I like you so much.” He steps forward, dangerously close that would have Willie’s heart pounding in his chest if he still had one. _“Remember?”_

“Willie,” Julie whispers behind him. “Go. Get out of here, I can—”

Willie shakes his head. “No way. I’m not leaving you with him.”

Caleb hums, raising an eyebrow. “Where did that bravery come from, William?”

“From you hurting the one I love the first time,” Willie snaps. “I ran away before. I’m not doing it again.”

“Aw. How sweet.” Caleb shakes his head. “And completely idiotic. She’s a lifer, William. At least Alex can understand you.”

“Julie understands us!” He smiles at her over his shoulder. “More than I’ve seen from any lifer before. _That’s_ your ghosty power, Julie.”

She breathes a surprised laugh.

“I get why you’re threatened by her, Caleb,” he continues. “Seems like she’s the only one who can actually stand a chance against you.”

Caleb scowls. “You’re giving too much credit. I don’t care how much power you two _think_ she has, she’s still only a _teenage_ _girl.”_

Julie scoffs. “Maybe. But I’m a teenage girl who—” Willie looks back at her. She’s hugging a soul canister to her chest—“knows your weakness. Now, how about a deal? Release Nick, and I won’t destroy your creepy collection.” She gestures to the shelf behind her. 

Caleb raises an eyebrow. Unimpressed it seems, but Willie’s been around him long enough to catch the fixation on his sleeves, the narrowing in his eyes.

“Fine.”

Willie blinks. “Seriously?” he says. “Just like that?”

“Put the soul down first.”

Julie and Willie share a look. Hesitantly, she pushes the canister back into place.

Caleb inhales deeply. Then his head tips back, his mouth opens, and a dark purple cloud spews into the air. Willie’s never seen ghost possession up close before. He staggers back, his arm brushing against Julie’s.

The guy left behind crumbles to his knees.

“Nick!” Julie cries, rushing past Willie.

**~**~**~**~**

**JULIE**

“Nick!” Julie cries. She pushes past Willie; her gaze is only on Nick’s lifeless body sprawled out across the floor. Finally, finally he’s free! She wants to burst into tears. He’ll wake up, maybe with no recollection of the last week, and she can feed him some lies that he’ll hopefully believe, and everything will be okay again.

But before she can reach him, the angry black mess floating above her that must be Caleb’s soul, she figures, appears in front of her.

And then everything goes dark.

**~**~**~**~**

**CALEB**

When Julie’s eyes open again, there are two people staring back at her. One is Willie. The other is Carrie, sitting on the ground behind Nick, hugging him to his chest. They’re frozen; horrified.

“This wasn’t part of the deal,” Willie says. His hands curl into fists. “Caleb, this wasn’t part of the deal!”

Julie shrugs. “I said I’d release Nick, which I did.” She gestures to the unconscious boy to her left.

“But—”

She’s already heading toward the door. “If you’ll excuse me,” she calls, waving a hand over her shoulder, “I must be going.” She pauses, grins. “I believe I’m late for band practice.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i didn't know i needed a julie & willie friendship until i wrote this, wow
> 
> thank you all for the kind comments!!!! i'm really glad you're all enjoying the story so far :)) next chapter is the finale!! any ideas on how it'll all go down??
> 
> (also since this came out on tuesday i’m going to adjust the update schedule just a bit & post the last chapter next tuesday instead of this friday. so, i’ll see you then!)


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Julie vs Caleb

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> not me writing fluff between carrie and her dad—
> 
> #TheWilsonsAreNotEvil :((((

**CARRIE**

“You see, these deals are tricky,” Caleb begins. “You have to be specific with your demands. Your father wanted to be famous. He never said how.”

“Then let me be _clear,”_ Carrie says, sharp and _precise,_ nails digging into her palms. “Tell me _exactly_ how my father rose to the top. No tricks. No lying. I just want the truth.”

He smirks. “Oh, I like you. You could be a valuable addition down the road.”

“Not interested. Just start talking.”

Caleb hums, rolling his eyes. “Your father was sixteen when we first met. We were in front of The Orpheum—not together, of course. He and his friends stopped by often I think, gazing up at the marquee in awe, imagining their name up there one day. I was just passing through. They were intriguing to me—kids with dreams always are. They’re easiest to entice, you know? Easiest to string along… I asked what he would do to have his name up in lights. He said, _‘Anything’.”_

A smile creeps onto his face as he begins to pace in front of her. “And what an intriguing answer that is, hm? _Anything._ He was willing to do anything to get what he wants.”

Sounds _dangerous_ to her. Carrie shifts her weight, crossing her leg over her knee.

“But unfortunately, he was only sixteen. Anything wasn’t quite as narrow for him as it was for me.

“We met again two years later. He didn’t have his friends with him this time. Judging by his ratty clothes and bags under his eyes, I figured he didn’t have as much to his name as the first time around. Still, I asked him again: _What would you do to have your name up in lights?_ And he replied with an answer I could actually believe: _Anything.”_

“What made that so different?” Carrie asks. “He said the same thing both times.”

“Yes. But this time, he was _desperate.”_

Carrie takes a deep breath; half of it is caught in her throat; her chest hurts.

“I introduced him to someone: a lovely woman who’d been in the business for far too long. She knew all of the ins and outs, which was quite a feat at only twenty-two—”

 _“—but man, her age didn’t matter in a room full of music executives,”_ her dad told her one day, eyes shining with fondness and nostalgia. _“She handled herself like a man with twenty years behind her name. It was practically love at first sight.”_

“I reminded him, before I sealed his fate with hers and sent them on their merry way, that anything is possible,” Caleb continues. “But, _anything_ has a price. He must’ve been so lovestruck—not only with her, but with the possibilities alluding—that he handed his soul over without a hitch.”

“Did…” Carrie’s voice shakes. She swallows thickly, but when she speaks again, the tremors are still there, “Did you make her leave?”

Caleb pauses in front of her. His face falls—almost looks sympathetic for her, but that can’t be possible—

“No,” he says firmly, like he’s telling the truth. Carrie doesn’t want to believe him. “I can’t control fate; I can only influence it. Your mother leaving was her choice.”

“But why? You set her up—He _sold his soul_ to be with her—!”

“He sold his soul to have the fame and fortune he dreamed of since high school,” Caleb interrupts sharply. “Don’t get it twisted, dear. He sold his soul for his name, his _wealth.”_ He pokes his tongue into his cheek. “Maybe he made the choice easy for her.”

The door opens behind Caleb, and the guy dressed in white from earlier pokes his head in. “Sir,” he says dreadfully, looking at Caleb with big eyes, “they’re in the Black Room.”

Carrie can barely hear their conversation. As Caleb storms out and the door slams shut behind him, her heartbeats pound louder in her ears. Her father sold his soul, and he—he—

This doesn’t make any _sense._ Dad loves her—she knows that. He adores her and her mother and their family. While he and her mother were arguing, Dad made sure Carrie was never around to hear it. If she was, he’d check on her later, reassure that everything was okay. And even when they’d fight, Dad would talk about Mom like she was the sun and the moon _and every star in between is only a fraction of the love I have for her._

This guy Caleb was talking about… He isn’t her dad. Can’t be. Simply _cannot._ But—but he _did_ steal his best friends’ songs after they died. He never gave them any credit. Never mentioned them _once_ over the last _sixteen years._ How? How could he do that?

Flynn is yelling when Carrie slips the earpiece back on. “Carrie! What happened! Where are you! Answer us!”

“I’m here,” Carrie snaps. She stands too quickly; the room spins—she falls back down.

“Great, so, what just happened?” Flynn demands.

“Caleb told me about my dad.”

Flynn’s quiet for a second. “And… what did he say?”

Carrie stands again, jaw clenched this time. She starts toward the door, blinking away angry tears. “And he _lied,”_ she spits.

“Carrie, are you—”

“I’m fine.” She steps through the doorway and looks around. “Someone told Caleb they—I’m assuming Julie—are in something called a Black Room.” Voices drift down the hall to her left. With a deep breath and a quick swipe under her eyes to brush the stray tears away, Carrie storms down the corridor. “I think I’m heading that way.”

“What do you think the Black Room is?” Carlos asks.

“I don’t know, but they didn’t look happy that she found it.”

“Oh, good.” Flynn chuckles. “Anything that doesn’t make Caleb happy is a win for us.”

“Release Nick,” she hears Julie say, and her heart flutters with relief, “and I won’t destroy your creepy collection.”

Carrie pauses at the open doorway. She rocks on her heels, knowing she should be in there trying to help but… but something is keeping her rooted in place. 

“Fine,” Caleb agrees. 

“Really? Just like that?”

Something doesn’t _feel_ right.

“Put down the soul first.”

Chills run down Carrie’s spine, and she _gets it._

Tears gather in her eyes.

She wants to go _home._

~**~**~**~

**WILLIE**

Carrie: on the ground, holding Nick. Whispering, “Nick! Oh my god, wake up. Please wake up.”

Nick: unconscious.

Julie: _possessed._ Leaving for her house. Waving over her shoulder and laughing in a way that doesn’t fit _at all._

“What happened?” Carrie demands. “Where is she going?”

Willie opens and closes his mouth. His eyes dart from the door to Carrie and back again. Caleb is getting away! With _full control_ of Julie! He needs to _do_ something. He needs to stop him or try helping Julie or—or—

He’s feeling guilty when he poofs into the park across the street. A teenage girl and a young boy sit at a picnic table, hunched over a black box and having a conversation with someone he can’t see. Hovering over them are Luke, Reggie, and Alex. Reggie sees him first—he smacks Alex’s arm, and they’re in front of him in seconds.

“Hey,” Alex says quickly, looking him over. Checking to make sure he’s okay? Willie wants to smile. “What happened? Where’s Julie?”

“Caleb let Nick go,” Willie explains slowly, dragging it out. He doesn’t want to stall, but how do you explain something like this? How do you tell your boyfriend that you didn’t protect the person he asked you to watch out for? How do you tell them that one of their favorite people in the world is in more danger now than she ever was before? He shifts his weight.

“Willie?” Alex asks. He knows. He knows Willie is stalling. Has to—Alex is perceptive with people. It’s endearing. And nerve-racking.

“He has Julie.”

Willie says it fast, like mentioning it all at once will break the news easier. It doesn’t. They’re frozen; all of them—even Alex, and Willie’s heart crumbles.

“What do you mean?” Luke asks _carefully._ His voice is uneven, anger building that he seems to barely be containing.

“Julie took Nick’s place.”

Reggie must know something when he side-eyes Luke, because he hooks a hand around Luke’s arm and drags him away from everyone. Alex watches them go while he pulls at his sweatshirt sleeves. Willie’s gaze lingers on them too: Reggie is blocking Luke from them. He doesn’t need to see Luke’s face to know he’s pissed.

“I’m sorry,” Willie says quickly. “I didn’t—It happened so fast. I didn’t think he’d actually…”

Alex shakes his head. “I don’t blame you.” He waves vaguely at Reggie and Luke. “They don’t either. We know it wasn’t your fault.”

“You sure? Luke… looked like he wanted to hit me.”

Alex’s laugh is humorless. “He wants to hit something. Not you, though. He’s just…” The muscles in his jaw clench. “It’s _Julie._ She isn’t supposed to be involved in _any_ of this.”

“I think Caleb’s threatened by her.”

“Threatened by _her?”_

“She’s the first lifer who can see ghosts. She lifted his stamp— _no one’s_ done that before. She got into the Black Room.” Willie smiles a little. “She’s kind of a badass.”

Alex’s next laugh is breathless, surprised. Fond.

“Wait,” Willie says. “If she’s bested him before… I bet she can do it again.”

Alex frowns. “What do you mean?”

“If you figure out a way to get through to her, maybe you can help her save herself.” Willie chews on his lip thoughtfully. An idea pops into his head. “And I think… I might have an idea to help you out.”

Alex raises an eyebrow.

  
  


~**~**~**~

**LUKE**

  
  


The silence is killing him.

He, Alex, and Reggie sit in the studio, _waiting._ Waiting for Julie to show up because they beat her home, of course. Once Willie returned to the Ghost Club, they poofed back to the studio to figure out a plan. Or, really, to let Alex tell them his and Willie’s plan. If it works, it’s golden—and it’s the only thing they have, so Luke can’t really be _picky_ —he just wishes it didn’t have to happen in the first place. It shouldn’t be— _None_ of this should be happening. They shouldn’t have let it get this far. They know Caleb; they know what he sounds like. Someone should’ve caught on that Nick isn’t Nick before Julie did.

Luke stands with a huff. Alex isn’t pacing—surprisingly—so he’s going to take his place. He just needs to _move._

“I’m nervous,” Reggie admits after he and Alex watch Luke pace for a second.

“Me too,” Alex agrees softly.

“Do you think he’ll pretend like nothing’s different?” Luke wishes Reggie would stop talking. “Or… is he gonna tell us what happened?” His hands curl into fists against his lap. “I feel like he’s going to tell us.”

“He will,” Luke says roughly. “Cause he likes to gloat. That’s why he’s a _dick.”_

Alex suddenly shushes them. Luke pauses next to the couch to look at him, but he’s focused on the door. So is Reggie, and that’s when everything comes to a dizzy stop.

Because there she is, standing in the doorway with one hand on the handle and the other shoved in her pocket. 

She’s smiling at them, but—thankfully—it’s all wrong. Everything about her is wrong: the way she’s standing, her smile, the glint in her eye that’s usually so bright and caring is now full of mischief. And he hates it, but at least the person standing there is clearly _not_ _her._

“Hey guys,” she says.

“Hey Julie,” Reggie replies, returning her smile in a half-assed grin.

“How’d things go at Caleb’s club?” Alex asks hesitantly.

Luke sits on the couch arm next to him. He chews on his lip, waiting in anticipation for her answer.

Julie shrugs. “Fine.”

“Just fine?” Luke says, raising an eyebrow. “You were pretty freaked out earlier.”

“Yeah, well, turns out, he’s not as scary as I originally thought.” Julie walks further into the studio, pausing mid step to wince at something, and then she plays it off like nothing happened; like Luke doesn’t share a concerned look with Reggie and Alex.

Reggie chuckles. “You sure? He was a lunatic to us.”

“I doubt that—”

“No really,” Alex interrupts. “He kept talking about how great his club is, but performing with him? _Yikes.”_

Julie frowns. “What do you mean?”

“He’s not as great as he says he is,” Luke explains. “Honestly, he fell a little flat on some notes.”  
“Doubt it,” she snaps, glaring at him.

Luke shrugs. “Whatever you say. Anyways, you know the concert we’re playing tonight?” He stands from the couch and walks past her to grab his guitar. “I was thinking we try acoustic tonight.”

“What songs are we playing?” Reggie asks in a not-at-all convincing voice. Luke and Alex both throw him a look. _“What?”_ he whispers to Alex.

“Start with Bright?” Luke offers, slipping his guitar over his shoulder.

“How are we going to be acoustic when they need their instruments to be seen?” she asks, pointing at Alex and Reggie.

“We don’t need our _instruments,”_ Alex says, like it’s obvious. “We need _you,_ Jules.” He stands from the couch and walks over to her, smiling. “You make us visible, remember?”

Alex is, surprisingly, way too good at fake smiling. Any other day, Luke would wonder if it’s concerning.

“Right,” she says slowly. “Me. So… did we ever figure out how I can do everything?”

Luke shrugs. “Nope. Think you’re just awesome like that.”

“That’s not an answer.”

“Works for us, though,” Reggie adds. “And whatever it is, you beat Caleb with it last time, so that’s all we need to know.”

Luke holds his breath. Did he say too much? He said too much. That sounded like too much—

Julie winces again, this time with her hand pressing to her chest and her eyes squeezing shut.

“What’s wrong?” Luke asks before he can stop himself. “Julie.”

“Nothing,” she hisses. “I told you, I’m _fine._ I just—” She shakes her head. “This isn’t working. I can’t rehearse today.” Julie storms past him and heads for the door.

“Hey, hey,” he calls, catching her wrist. She’s glaring at him, and for a second, he can’t focus on anything else. She’s never looked so angry with him before. Not even when he went through her dream box. Perhaps that’s the plan—he’s so stricken with shock and hurt that his grip slips, and she almost gets away.

“Luke—” Alex calls warningly, worriedly, and that snaps him out of it.

Luke’s fingers tighten around her wrist, pulling her back. That’s not her, he has to remind himself. She’d never look so hateful because that’s not her he’s talking to! Luke swallows his feelings.

“One song,” he tries softly, tugging her closer. “One song, and I’ll let you go.”

She holds his gaze for a long time, probably trying to figure him out. He wonders if Caleb is catching on yet. Are they acting weird to him? Have they said something that might’ve tipped him off?

She doesn’t answer, so he does. Luke begins singing the beginning of Bright, soft and steady, just like if it was really her ready to perform. There’s shuffling behind him, then he hears the rushed piano notes to catch up to the song. He mentally rolls his eyes at Reggie—at least he always has his back.

“For one more try, to feel alive,” Luke sings, squeezing her wrist. Julie flinches away from him. “And when I feel lost and alone, I know that I can make it home. Fight through the dark—” _Come on Julie,_ he thinks. _Come on. I know you’re in there—_ “and find the spark.”

“Life is a risk, but I will take it,” he continues, daring to release her hand to begin playing his guitar. “Close my eyes and jump. Together I think that we can make it. C’mon, let’s run.”

“And rise, through the night—”

Julie turns to leave, but Alex poofs in front of her. He sings: “You and I, we will fight to shine together, bright forever.”

“And rise, through the night,” Luke harmonizes, stepping around her to make sure she can see his face, “you and I. We will _fight to shine together,_ bright forever.”

She huffs, ducking past them and storming across the room. She stops short in front of Reggie, then turns, pressing her hand to her forehead. Alex and Luke share a look.

“C’mon Jules,” Luke calls, walking slowly. “This is your part: In times that I doubted myself, I felt like I needed some help.”

Luke pauses to give her a chance. The piano notes fall on deaf ears and suffocating tension. 

Then: “Stuck in my head…” she whispers. Whispers, but sings! He jerks in surprise. “With nothing left—” Then she scowls. “No. Stop it.”

Reggie looks at Luke before stepping away from the piano. “I feel something,” he sings gently, “around me now. So unclear, lifting me out. I’m on the ground, marching on.”

“No,” she says. “No, no, no, no—” Julie squeezes her eyes shut.

“You got this, Julie,” Luke hears Alex whisper.

~**~**~**~

**JULIE**

She imagines this is how Luke feels around his parents: helpless, alone, watching from the outside with so much on the tip of her tongue and no strength to say it.

The guys are _right there_ —so close. And they know she’s there, too. Somehow, she thinks they’ve known this whole time. Willie probably told them. 

There’s a lot she wants to do right now: She wants to thank Willie for warning them. She wants to apologize to the guys for letting this happen. She wants to make sure Nick is okay. She wants to hug Flynn and maybe cry into her shoulder for a few hours over how weird and unnatural and scary this is. 

She wants to hold Luke’s hand, and she wants to tell him how she really feels.

She wants to look Caleb in the eye and tell him he lost. _Again._

But before she can do any of that… She has to regain control of her body.

_Through the dark and find the spark._

~**~**~**~

**LUKE**

When Julie’s eyes open, there are tears. His heart breaks. He almost stops playing, but then Alex presses a hand to his back and nudges him forward. And he needs to finish, he realizes. They need to save her.

“And when I feel,” Julie says instead of singing in a voice so quiet, he has to stop playing to hear her, “lost and alone, I feel like I can make it home.” She looks up at him with tear tracks staining her cheeks. “Through the dark and find the spark.”

“There you are,” Luke says, smiling. “I knew you were in there.”

“I haven’t won yet, Luke.”

“No, but you’re really fucking close,” Alex argues. “And Willie and Carrie and everyone… they’re helping on their end. But you have to kick him to the curb now.”

Julie runs a hand through her hair. She’s trembling. “He’s really strong, guys.”

Reggie squeezes her shoulders. “Yeah?” he says. “So are we.”

  
  


~**~**~**~

**CALEB**

This has never happened before.

_She’s fighting back._

He wonders, is it the song? He knows music can break through to anyone, but he didn’t think it’d be so literal. Or, is it _them?_ Those idiots who have a stronger aura than anyone he’s seen waltz through his club in a long time.

But he realizes just as quickly as her thoughts interrupt his own that it’s both of those things _and her._ She’s the key to all of this. 

He still can’t figure her out; not even when he’s inside her head.

~**~**~**~

  
  


**CARRIE**

_Robert Andrews_

She sees his name a few rows up from the ground. It’s not as large as the name at the top of the plague: _Trevor Wilson._ Carrie swallows thickly.

“He’s going to wake up, right?” Carlos asks from behind her. He’s talking to Willie, she assumes. Willie, who disappeared at some point between Julie leaving and Nick falling out of consciousness. Carrie didn’t notice he left; she was too caught up in _Nick,_ still and lifeless in her arms.

“Yeah,” Willie answers. He nods for good measure. “He’s just… He’s just tired.”

Tired. Carrie huffs a laugh, rolling her eyes. Just tired? Yeah, right.

“Where’s Julie?” Flynn demands. She’s sitting next to Carrie, shouldering half of Nicks’ weight on her lap. She has Carrie’s hand in her own, hasn’t let go since she arrived. Yet another thing Carrie failed to notice.

“The guys are with her.”

“But where is she?” Flynn repeats. “Is she okay?”

Willie opens and closes his mouth. He chews on his lip. “She will be. We have to help them out, though.”

“We?” Carlos repeats.

Carrie’s eyes find their way back to her dad’s spot. Robert Andrews. That’s his real name? Sixteen years, and she’s only _just_ learning her dad has a _real name._ And he’s not even the one telling her about it!

“Caleb’s power comes from these souls,” Willie explains. “But I think you guys can break them; set them free.”

“Why us?” Carrie says softly.

“Because you’re lifers. I don’t think you have limitations here like I do.”

Carefully, Carrie slips out from under Nick. She throws a look at Flynn, a mixture of ‘Be careful with him’ and ‘Thank you’. Climbing to her feet, she picks at her bracelets as she reflects on the story Caleb told her earlier. The truth about her father? She isn’t sure what’s true anymore, but something is real: Her dad’s name, and the glowing ball of light trapped in glass above it.

“We just break these?” she asks. Willie’s eyes are on her like a hawk. She can feel him watching her every move.

“Yeah…” he replies.

Carrie stands on her tiptoes, reaching for the glass above her dad’s name. Her fingers press against the sides, and she carefully drags it to her. It’s safe against her chest. But just as she’s turning to back away—

She sways dangerous to the left, her arm catches on a shelf, and then she’s _falling._

“Carrie!” Flynn cries.

Someone grabs her hand, jerks her to the right, and they’re running. Behind her is commotion that makes her ears ring: glass shattering, air whooshing out of her lungs until she can’t breathe, thuds that rattle her to the core and make the ground tremble. When the person in front of her trips, she hugs her dad’s canister tight enough to her chest that she worries she’ll break it.

Flynn is waving them over frantically. Willie stands behind her, frozen to the floor, watching the room fall into chaos.

Carlos stops just beside him, breathing hard, with Carrie’s hand in a death grip—she isn’t sure even he realizes how tight he’s holding on.

She turns on her heel, and they witness the collapse; the inevitable fall of Caleb Covington: like dominoes, the shelves fall into each other. More and more canisters break under the pressure, and the souls rise into the air like swarms of lightning bugs. Carrie has to turn her head and cover her eyes. She sees the others doing the same. Soon, covering her eyes isn’t enough. The souls are too bright—she squeezes her eyes shut, and scary thoughts pass through: what if they go blind? What if these souls kill them? Can they do that? Smother them in light and heat that’s making her sweat on the spot?

Carrie counts the seconds for it all to be over.

At fifteen, chills run over her body. The light is gone, and the heat went with it. She shudders. Next to her, Flynn gasps. Carlos whines about not wanting to open his eyes.

“Oh god,” Willie mutters.

After a back and forth battle in her mind, Carrie works up the courage to open her eyes.

But all she sees is darkness.

~**~**~**~

  
  


**JULIE**

It’s fitting that a spark is what ignites when warmth suddenly washes over her. Things go dark again, but she’s not scared like before. This time, she can hear whatever’s going on outside of her own head: a faint melody from Luke’s guitar and her piano; nervous chatter; angry muttering; whooshing in her ears.

When she opens her eyes, it’s really her opening her eyes. It’s really her staring at her band’s faces, lit up with relief and excitement, grinning back at her like she’s the greatest thing they’ve ever seen. It’s really her rushing forward into their arms, sinking into their embrace and nuzzling into their chests. It’s really her emotions that she forces back, swallowing thickly because she’s too tired to cry. And she’s tired of crying.

Their reunion is cut short when Julie is suddenly pushed to safety behind Reggie and Alex. Then she sees Caleb staggering on his feet, a hand pressed to his chest as he grimaces in pain, and her body freezes over. She doesn’t realize she’s grabbed Reggie’s hand until he squeezes in return.

“You forced me out,” Caleb says to her in quiet shock. He shuffles forward, staring at her like she’s an anomaly he _can’t_ figure out this time.

“Back off,” Luke growls.

Next to her, the air tightens. She looks over. Willie’s behind Alex, and when he turns to her, she almost wants to laugh. His eyes are big and not at all innocent; he looks like he just did something he shouldn’t have.

“Hey,” Julie says quietly.

Willie’s face shifts into a warm smile. “Hey.”

They fist bump, and she _does_ laugh, and they interrupt the glare down between Caleb and Luke. Julie’s lip quivers with fresh tears, but they’re happy, she thinks. Happy, relieved tears for these ghosts who decided to save her. These idiots. Her idiots.

“How…” Caleb shakes his head in disbelief. “How are you seeing him?” He points weakly at Willie.

Julie raises an eyebrow. “What?” she replies. A spiteful grin creeps onto her face. “Like it’s hard?”

“I had to collect… hundreds of souls before I was able to be seen by lifers,” he continues.

“Hundreds of souls that don’t belong to you anymore,” Willie interrupts. “Thanks to a pissed off Carrie Wilson.”

Caleb staggers; he _glitches._

Chills race over Julie’s arms. She looks at Willie. “Even yours?”  
He smiles back at her. “You mean you can’t tell, Ms. Talks To Souls?”

Julie laughs. Then she cries. Then she’s hugging him, and he’s hugging her back, just as tight as her band was minutes earlier.

“This is impossible,” Caleb mutters. When he stumbles again, he trips over his feet and crashes to the floor.

Looking back at him, Julie pulls away from Willie. She slips past Alex and Reggie carefully, touching their arms in reassurance when they try stopping her.

“So,” she says, strolling up to him, “what does that make us now? Me: two; you: zero?”

There’s laughter behind her. An arm curls around her waist, pulling her close against him. She smiles up at Luke; he grins, dipping his head to kiss her hair.

“Think your show’s over, Caleb Covington,” Julie continues. She lifts her chin, glaring down her nose at him. “You’re _finished.”_

And Caleb, meeting her stare with his own heated glower, glitches once more before he disappears completely.

There’s silence.

And then Reggie sighs loudly. “Oh my god, that was scary.”

Julie spins on her heel to look at each of them, fresh tears glistening against her cheeks as she smiles wider than she surely ever has before. She holds her arms out, palms up, shrugging. 

“Guys,” she says. _“We did it.”_

“Uh,” Luke corrects, _“you_ did it.” He hugs her from behind and kisses her cheek. “And God, don’t ever do something like that again.”

“Yeah,” Alex agrees. He’s grinning; they’re all grinning; she’s sure they couldn’t stop if they wanted to. “We’re supposed to be the reckless ones.”

Reggie bounces on his feet. “Can we just hug already?” He’s moving forward before anyone can answer him, wrapping his arms around Julie and Luke. “Glad you’re back, Jules.”

She sighs, leaning into him. “Me too.”

Alex bounds over, chuckling when Julie yanks him closer by his arm. Willie lingers by the couch, hands in his pockets, shifting his weight.

“Hey,” Julie calls to him. “Get over here! You’re part of the club now.”

“The club?” he asks.

Reggie answers, “The ‘Can Be Seen by Julie Molina’ Club.”

Julie nods. “Exactly, and if you’re a part of the club, you’ve gotta be a part of the hugs.”

“Boss’s orders,” Luke adds.

Willie’s gaze shifts to Alex. He breathes a laugh, shrugs, and makes his way over.

Julie's forehead rests against Luke's shoulder. She hugs Luke and Alex as tight as she can, and they squeeze her back, and she's safe. Finally.

She's finally home.

~**~**~**~

**CARRIE**

The only thing she wants to do when she gets home is sleep. 

By the time Willie returned to the club, Nick was waking up. Dazed and confused, of course, he had a ton of questions. None of which any of them really knew how to explain. Carrie and Flynn promised to tell him everything at school tomorrow because at least Julie would be there; she has her own explaining to do.

Willie told them Julie is fine—safe and okay and with her ghost band. Carrie still can’t believe that’s a thing. She’s even more shocked that that ghost band used to be her dad’s _band_ band. And best friends. She isn’t looking forward to that conversation.

Speaking of, her dad is in the living room when she gets home. He has the TV on: MTV’s music countdown. There are papers scattered across the coffee table, and he has a notebook on his lap.

“Hey,” he says when he spots her. “You’re home late. Dance practice?”

 _Dance practice._ She laughs, tired and sarcastic. “I wish,” she admits without realizing it. How simple could this day have been if she’d only been at dance practice with her normal friends living her previously normal life? She already misses the simplicity.

“What do you mean?” he asks.

Carrie sits next to him, tucking her legs under her and hugging a pillow to her chest. “I met Caleb Covington today.”  
If she was looking at him, she would’ve seen the blood drain from his face. But she’s not. She’s too focused on the ring on his finger—the wedding ring he still wears for some reason. It’s been two years since her mom left. That must mean something, right?

“I know your real name is Robert Andrews. And I know you made a deal with Caleb when you were eighteen, and that’s how you met mom and became famous and—and—and is that also why mom left?” She’s weak all over—her voice is shaking, there are tears in her eyes, and she really just wants to sleep. “Is everything I’ve ever known about you a lie, Dad?”

“That’s…” Dad sighs. “That’s not why your mom left. It is a part of it, though.”

“I want to know everything.”

He nods. “Okay.”

With a sigh, he pushes away his notepad and turns the TV off. He turns to her, and this is when she knows whatever he’s about to say will be the truth. Because, despite his busy lifestyle growing up, he’s always made time for talks. He’s always been able to sit down and discuss things with her. When all else failed, she knew she could grab his attention for at least ten minutes. She could always rely on him, and that’s why she needs this to be wrong. _She_ needs to be wrong.

When Mom left, it hurt, but he was hurting too, so she wasn’t alone. She’s never felt alone, even if her dad is a world famous rockstar. He’s a good person. He is. With everything in her, she needs to know that he’s still a good person.

“I was a kid when I made that deal with Caleb,” Dad begins. “A dumb kid still… grieving over losing his best friends. I went off the grid after they died. My parents couldn’t even get a hold of me. I’d given everything to that band: dropped out of school, just like Luke; told my parents that I didn’t need them because we were going to be legends.” He laughs softly, rolling his eyes. “Luke and I were idiots about our parents back then.

“I had talked to Caleb once before, but I didn’t take him seriously. He didn’t take them seriously, either—my friends. He thought I’d be better off on my own. So, I wasn’t interested in taking any offers.”

“But then you became desperate,” Carrie realizes quietly.

“I’d lost everything by then. I figured, ‘What do I have to lose?’ So, I made this impossible deal. It sounded scary: Sell my soul in exchange for fame and fortune? I—” He chuckles. “Don’t know how true that is exactly, but he seemed serious, so I went with it. And then he started making things happen. He introduced me to your mom, and that opened doors I never would have imagined. He made booking The Orpheum child’s pay.”

“Why did you change your name?”

“It was his idea. He said Bobby Andrews’ career died with the rest of the band.” He clenches his jaw, gaze dropping from hers. “He said it’d be bad for my brand if I continued with that kind of history. So, I legally changed it.”

“What happened with Mom?”

“It started when you first met Julie. I knew her mom when I was a teenager—we met at The Orpheum.”

“So…” Carrie’s eyebrows furrow. “She knew about Sunset Curve?”

He sighs. “She watched us _play._ She was working that night during soundcheck. Reggie gave her a T-shirt and everything. Your mom worried that Rose being too close would make her talk. I didn’t think Rose would say anything.”

“Did she ever know?”

Dad shrugs. “If she did, she never mentioned it. Still, your mom and I argued over whether we should tell you about my past. I didn’t want to, not because I liked lying, but because it was just—” He shakes his head. “There isn’t a day that goes by where I don’t think of them. Every day, I wonder what could’ve been.”

“Do you ever feel guilty for stealing their songs?”

He blinks at her. “How did you know about that?”

“Caleb told me.” She twists her bracelets. “And then Julie confirmed it.”

“Julie. Right.” Dad chews on his lip. “I’ve been trying to work up the courage to ask her about what the hell happened—Heck. Sorry.”

Carrie almost smiles. She shakes her head. “So… Caleb didn’t have anything to do with mom leaving?”

“No.”

“But… She didn’t leave because of you, right? Caleb—He made it seem like you only care about yourself. He said you sold your soul for _wealth.”_

He’s quiet for a moment, thinking it over. “Maybe I did,” he admits. “Once. Maybe I did it to live the dream my friends never could. Or… maybe I did it to forget about them. _I don’t know,_ Carrie. Truthfully. I was in the worst place I’ve ever been in back then. I couldn’t handle things like I can now with therapy and family. But I got you out of it.”

Carrie huffs a laugh, trying to sound unimpressed, but when he grins at her, she can’t fight the smile back.

“Even if my soul is damned, you were the best thing the bastard’s ever given me. I’m sorry for lying to you. I’m sorry for so many things, and I’m trying to—” He gestures to the stack of papers— “make amends for it.”

She picks at her nail polish. “Well,” she says slowly, trying not to think about the long day she’s had, but how can she not? “Your soul isn’t damned, so that’s one last thing to worry about.”

He frowns. “What do you mean?”

Carrie shakes her head. She crawls over to him, curling into his side and wrapping an arm around him. “It’s been a long day,” she mumbles.

“Tomorrow, then?” he asks. He hugs her close, kissing her forehead.

She cracks a smile. Her eyes flutter closed. “It’s a date.”

~**~**~**~

**JULIE**

“Wow.”

Julie rubs the back of her neck, sharing sheepish looks with Carrie and Flynn. They’re in the music room with Nick, explaining everything that happened the day before. Everything—including Julie being possessed too. The guys are nearby, hovering behind Julie and Flynn because not only are they refusing to let Julie out of their sight, but they also aren’t the biggest fans of Nick right now—even though they all know Caleb is gone. Julie can’t exactly blame them. Luke already didn’t like Nick, but Alex and Reggie didn’t know him before the possession issue. It was a bad first impression that they can’t shake now. Julie doesn’t mind; she likes them being around more than usual.

“Yeah, so…” she says, falling short on her next words. How do you… continue from that? “How are you feeling today?”

“Tired. And I have the worst headache—”

“Oh my god, me too.” Julie presses her fingers to her temples. “Feels like my head is full of—”

“—Cotton?” he guesses, chuckling. “Yeah.”

“Great,” Luke mutters. “He’s not possessed anymore, but he’s still flirting with her.”

Reggie snickers. “Oh, _that’s_ why you didn’t like him?”

“Clearly, Julie has a type,” Alex teases.

Luke frowns. “What do you mean?”

 _“Guitarists.”_ When Julie glares over Nick’s shoulder, Alex chuckles. “Yeah, I’ve seen him play in class before. You’re easy to figure out, Jules.”

She wants to throw something at him. Oh, wait, everyone in the room knows about ghosts now—she chucks a pencil at him.

“Hey!” he cries, swatting it away.

Nick looks behind him. “Why did you—”

“Because she’s a freak who can see ghosts,” Carrie answers.

Julie switches her glare to her, but Carrie’s smirking. “It’s cool,” she says, waving her off. “We’re all weird. My dad sold his soul at eighteen.”

“Um, speak for yourself,” Flynn argues. “My life is perfectly normal, thanks.”

“But you’re friends with _me,”_ Julie says. “So, you’re abnormal by relation.”

“So… How do you know Caleb is really gone?” Nick asks cautiously.

“We have a friend at his club. He’s keeping us updated on what’s happening, but—” Julie looks up at Alex. “From what I’ve heard, the Hollywood Ghost Club’s business is steadily _declining.”_

Alex nods. “Hell yeah it is.” He reaches a hand out, and Luke and Reggie low five him.

“Good!” Flynn exclaims. “I could really use a few normal weeks without ghost drama.”

Carrie rolls her eyes. “Ugh, don’t jinx it. Please.” She rises to her feet and grabs her bag. “I’m planning to go back to ignoring you for the rest of high school.”

“Umm.” Flynn raises an eyebrow. “You can’t ignore us. We know your father’s a fraud.”

Julie’s mouth falls open. “Flynn—”

“Just like your hair,” Carrie fires back.

Flynn words drip with sarcasm. “Ooh, that one stung a bit.” She throws her bag over her shoulder and steps up to Carrie. They share a ghost of a smile.

Nick looks at Julie; they share an incredulous grin. “This is going to take some getting used to,” he jokes.

“No kidding.”

“You coming, Jules?” Flynn asks while Nick grabs his things.

Julie’s about to answer, but then Willie poofs in next to Alex, and she smiles at him. Back to Flynn, she shakes her head. “Nah, I’ll catch you later.” She and the guys watch Flynn, Carrie, and Nick disappear into the hallway.

“So good news,” Willie announces once the door shuts. “I think the club is actually shutting down.”

Julie snickers. “Of course it is. There aren’t any souls there anymore.”

“Yeah.” Willie shakes his head, grinning at the damn. “Damn lifers; they’re crazy.”

“It’s our ghosty powers,” she declares.

Luke snickers. “Sure it is.”

Julie points at Willie. “He admitted that I have them!”

Alex gasps. “Willie! You’re taking sides now?”

Willie shakes his head, taking Alex’s hand in his. “I have to agree… There _is_ something weird about her.”

She laughs. Reggie hops to his feet and steps around Julie. He covers her ears and says, “We all know she’s weird, but we don’t say it out loud, _Willie.”_

Julie pushes him away. “Okay, ouch. You guys can leave now.”

Reggie pouts. “Fine. I’m going to hang out with Flynn where I’ll be loved.” He disappears, but she knows he’ll be back by her next period.

“So, what are you going to do with all of your free time?” she asks Willie.

He shrugs. “I don’t know—” Alex pulls him close wrapping an arm around his waist. Willie chuckles. “I’m sure I can find something.”

She and Luke share a knowing smirk.

“Hey, we’ll see you guys later, okay?” Alex says, standing.

Luke chuckles. “Yeah, okay.”

Before they leave, Willie reaches his fist to her. She bumps her own against his, then they’re gone.

Luke moves down a step. While Julie turns to him, she declares, “I have ghost powers.”

He smiles. “Of course you do.”

“You don’t believe me.”

He also doesn’t seem to be _listening._ As she speaks, he’s leaning forward, kissing along the edge of her mouth. Perhaps he’s trying to distract her—it’s working, admittedly. Julie’s fingers brush across his cheek, cupping his face in her hand.

“You don’t get to kiss me until you admit it,” she declares.

Luke chuckles. “You have ghost powers.” He kisses her nose. “You have ghost powers.” He kisses her cheek. “Julie, you have the _coolest fucking_ ghost powers out of all of us.” He kisses her mouth, and he doesn’t pull away, and she melts against him with her fingers curling in his hair.

She catches her breath when the bell rings. He chases her for one more, even though she knows anyone could walk in and see her making out with air—that would be a hard conversation.

"I have to go," she tells him.

"Skip school."

Julie laughs, grabbing her bag. "You're a bad influence, you know?"

He grins. "But you love it."

"Hmm… maybe." 

He doesn't follow her into the hall, but she knows he's close by. On her way to class, Reggie falls into step beside her. He's wiggling his eyebrows knowingly, but he doesn't ask. Instead, he tells her about how Carlos bombarded him with questions last night—Carlos loves being able to talk to Reggie. And she knows the feeling is mutual.

As she turns a corner, Luke appears next to her. And she spots Alex and Willie at the end of the hall, chatting outside of the GSA club classroom. She can tell by the way Alex's eyes are lighting up that Willie's telling him all about everything. She smiles at them, for them.

In class, Flynn saves a seat next to her. Across the room, Carrie and Nick are together. They look softer than usual, actually having a conversation instead of him listening and her ranting. Carrie catches her eye; they may share a smile, but who can really prove that?

There in her classroom, surrounded by her friends, her family, with a clear head and light shoulders, Julie's feeling safe. She's feeling loved. She risked it all for them, all of them—yeah, even Carrie.

And luckily for her, she had the _best_ safeguard to fall back on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi, wow, thank you all for reading!!!!!!! what a ride this was. i think i fulfilled my platonic & romantic fluff wishes with this one—at least until the next book (which i'm in the works of planning soooo be on the lookout! ;))!!! haha
> 
> edit: sooo that next book?? it's out now; a sequel; the next part of this thing that's become a Series: welcome to new york!!
> 
> "Alex isn't supposed to be the impulsive one. Really, he OVERTHINKS most things. But first he sees his mom, and then he has a fight with his band, and then he spirals.
> 
> Now, he's in New York City. With Willie.
> 
> And they have no idea how to get home."
> 
> It's a sequel to this book and the first of the "disappearing act" series. if you liked this book, you'll LOVE the adventures coming! trust me :)


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